Every morning TheScore serves up the sports stories you need to be across before your first cup of coffee.
1.#CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Bayern Munich booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 7-0 demolition of Basel at the Allianz Arena last night. With victory needed to ensure their spot in the last eight of Europe’s premier club competition, Bayern turned on the style, with Mario Gomez scoring four and Arjen Robben bagging a double on the way to an emphatic victory.
Elsewhere, winners just a couple of season ago, Inter were dumped out despite beating Marseille 2-1 at home. The Serie A side go out on away goals after a single-goal defeat in France a fortnight ago.
2. #PREMIER LEAGUE Steven Gerrard struck a stunning derby night hat-trick as Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool beat Everton 3-0 at Anfield last night.
3. #SIX NATIONS Declan Kidney yesterday named his side to face England at Twickenham on St Patrick’s Day. As expected, Sean O’Brien has recovered from a foot infection to take his place in the first XV.
Donnacha Ryan returns to partner provincial teammate Donncha O’Callaghan in the second row, while Munster back row Peter O’Mahony, who impressed during Ireland’s comprehensive victory over Scotland last week, makes way for Leinster’s Sean O’Brien.
The Leinster half-back pairing of Jonathan Sexton and Eoin Reddan remains unchanged.
4. #CHELTENHAM We went furlong-by-furlong for the after noon yesterday, on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival. The big news was Hurricane Fly’s failure to do what many Irish punters expected. Sizing Europe will hope to raise the tricolour with a win in the Queen Mother at 3.20. We’ll be live throughout as usual.
Away from the winners’ enclosure yesterday, three horses lost their lives.
5. #CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Tonight, Chelsea will attempt to overturn a 3-1 defeat away to Napoli while Real Madrid host CSKA Moscow.
6. CRICKET Ireland’s cricket stars have just beaten Kenya in Dubai in their second qualifier for the ICC World Twenty20 tournament yesterday. We’ll have a full report presently. Yesterday, they lost by four runs in a shock result against Kenya.
7. #HOCKEY Hockey is in! Last night Ireland earned a really impressive 1-1 draw with Korea at a sold-out Belfield tonight to keep their Olympic qualification dream on track. They now face Chile tomorrow night before taking on group leaders Malaysia.
