Ben Hamilton
March 17th, 2017

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They were worthy of the famous red and white colours last night (photo: FC Copenhagen)

Lions knocked out of Europa League
FC Copenhagen’s run in the Europa League has ended. Last night, the Lions lost 2-0 in Amsterdam to Ajax in the second leg of their last 16 clash. A disappointing first half ended with the concession of a penalty by Jeres Okore three minutes into stoppage time that was duly dispatched by 19-year-old striker Kasper Dolberg, the former Silkeborg youth player who had scored in the first leg. Defending a slender 2-1 home win, FCK knew a draw would have seen them through into a quarter-final draw that was really opening up thanks to the inclusion of two Belgian sides and Turkish outfit Besiktas, but they did not hold onto their advantage for long. Bertrand Traoré, a 21-year-old Burkinabé striker on loan from Chelsea, opened the scoring after 22 minutes, following in on a shot to head home the keeper’s parry. In total Ajax enjoyed 58 percent of possession and managed ten shots on target to FCK’s two.

Wozniacki run at Indian Wells over in quarters
Caroline Wozniacki has failed to make it three WTA finals in a row, bowing out of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells yesterday 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 2-6 in the quarter-finals to France’s Kristina Mladenovic, the world number 28. The Dane, whose form has been scintillating since making the semis of the US Open last September, was the second favourite to win the prestigious tournament following the elimination of most of the top seeds. Had she won, it would have matched her best ever tournament win – she previously triumphed at Indian Wells in 2011 when she was world number one – and marked only the second time she has won a Premier Mandatory event, a category of tournament just one tier below a grand slam. Should her form continue like this, she could enter this year’s US Open in the top three or four in the world.

Can Viktor bounce back with new manager?
Viktor Fischer is one of the names being mentioned by this morning’s press in England in connection with yesterday’s sacking of Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka. The 3.7 million pound signing from Ajax has failed to score in any of his 15 games this season, although six of his 12 English Premier League appearances have been from the bench. His last was on December 17, during which he was injured. However, since his return to fitness in January, he has only played twice, and both were appearances in the FA Cup. Recently dropped from the national team due to his lack of match fitness, Fischer will be hoping the new manager gives him more opportunities.