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Early Doors

The Morning Score: Thursday

Don’t clock in without catching up on the day’s most important sports stories – as well as seeing this amazing goal.

1. #FAI Ireland and Croatia played out a somnolent  scoreless draw at the Aviva Stadium last night.

Trap can have learned little ahead of next month’s European Championships action but hinted to reporters afterwards that Stephen Ward may start against Slovakia.

The Slovaks beat Austria 2-1 last night while  Ireland’s other group rivals Russia defeated Serbia in their international friendly.

2. #RWC2011 Declan Kidney will name what is expected to be a much-changed side for the France trip this lunchtime.

Yesterday, Les Bleus revealed that  Biarraitz star Raphael Lakafia will make his first appearance for France against Ireland in Bordeaux.

We’ll go minute-by-minute on Saturday evening.

3. #BOXING Yesterday, we tried to unravel Irish boxing’s controversial ‘box-off’.

Last night it emerged that five of the most recognisable names in the amateur sport here did not turn up for yesterday’s weigh-in at the National Stadium.

Joe Ward, Ray Moylette, Beijing Olympic bronze medallist Paddy Barnes, John Joe Nevin and Darren O’Neill may now be excluded from the worlds.

4. #EXIT STRATEGY Arsenal look set to accept a cut-price deal for skipper Cesc Fabregas.

The package is reported to include a down payment of €30million with an another €6m in performance-based add-ons at a later stage.

5. #US PGA The final golf major of the season gets underway today with Rory McIlroy the favourite to win out in Atlanta.

Here’s our tips however. Who do you fancy? Tiger?

6. #DERRY PELE Last night Paddy McCourt got his first two goals for Northern Ireland in their win over Brian Kerr’s Faroe Islands.

The second is something to savour.

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