..::Football III::..

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FA Cup Fixtures 2014.01.25

FA Cup Fixtures 2014.01.25

Bournemouth Vs Liverpool

Birmingham City Vs Swansea

Bolton Vs Cardiff

Huddersfield Vs Charlton

Manchester City Vs Watford

Port Vale Vs Brighton

Rochdale Vs Sheffield

Southampton Vs Yeovil Town

Southend Vs Hull City

Sunderland Vs Kidderminister

Wigan Vs Crystal Palace

Stevenage Vs Everton​

 

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La Liga Fixtures 2014.01.25

La Liga Fixtures 2014.01.25

Real Madrid Vs Granada

Real Valladoid Vs Villareal

Valancia Vs Espanyol

Sevilla Vs Levante​

 

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Serie A 2014.01.25 Fixtures

Serie A 2014.01.25 Fixtures

Napoli Vs Chievo

Lazio Vs Juventus​

 

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Jose Mourinho hits back at 'complaining' Arsene Wenger over Juan Mata comments

Jose Mourinho has told Arsene Wenger he should be happy Chelsea are selling Juan Mata to Manchester United.The £37m sale of Mata has been sanctioned less than a week after United's defeat at Stamford Bridge, and he cannot now face Chelsea this season.

That timing left Arsenal boss Wenger questioning the fairness of a transfer system, which means Mata will play against Chelsea's title rivals during the run-in.But Mourinho has laughed off his rival's concern, saying: "Wenger complaining is normal, because he always does. It's something that we know.

"When a player plays for a club on August 20 and two weeks later on September 5 plays against the same club with a different shirt, this is normal, because this is the market.

"We don't do the market, we don't do the rules, we have just to do according to the rules."If Wenger sells Mesut Ozil to Manchester United in this moment I would be very happy because he sells a very important player."Normally he should be happy that Chelsea sold a player like Juan Mata, but this is a little bit his nature."

Another of Mourinho's opposite numbers - Manchester City's Manuel Pellegrini - has also voiced his concern over the Mata deal, albeit in more general terms than Wenger.Pellegrini said: "I do not agree that a transfer like this can happen in the middle of the season. I do not think a player should be allowed to go from one club to another in the same league in January.

"The rules are the rules, so you play by them, but I just think they should change. I am not saying scrap the January window, just change it."Mourinho regularly crossed swords with Wenger during his first spell in English football, but said back in July there would no longer be "one single problem" between the two.

The Portuguese again emphasised his "respect" for Wenger before Chelsea went to the Emirates in December but ended the evening criticising Arsenal's 'crying tradition' in the wake of a bad-tempered goalless draw.

 

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Man City boss Pellegrini says moves like Mata's should be banned

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini thinks big-money transfers between rival clubs should not be allowed in mid-season.Pellegrini is not calling for the end of the transfer window but he is uncomfortable with the concept of clubs in competition for the same title buying players from each other.Juan Mata is on the brink of moving from Chelsea to Manchester United in a £37m move.

Pellegrini does not blame United from dipping into the transfer market during this month's window - as they are entitled to do - but in his opinion such moves should not be allowed mid-season.

He said: "Personally I don't agree that the player can go from one team to another team in the same league at this part of the year, but rules are rules and he can change clubs.""I think if a player plays for a club for more than half of the season, a club with money can take the best players from the other teams."But the rules allow it, so (there is) nothing to say."

"You can have the window of course. Maybe a player that played three games in a team is not involved the same as an important player."I am talking about fair play. If you allow that, maybe teams with a lot of money can buy important players from the teams fighting with them for the title."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says Mata's move illustrates why he does not like the January window.Mata will not play against Chelsea this season - United have already met the Blues twice in the league - but he could play City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Pellegrini said: "I am not talking about the reasons of Arsene Wenger. I am not talking about that."Maybe Manchester United have an advantage because Chelsea wanted to sell him. Maybe Manchester United have an advantage in this case.

"I am talking about general reasons and not the specific reason that they have played already against them."I think in this transfer window, players that play more than five or six games for the same club cannot change to another."

 

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Mata wa sell karapu 1kak loku issue 1kak karagena wagemamanam kiyanne Premier league clubs athare playersla move una kiyala 1ka problem 1kak karaganna one naha kiyalai.
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Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho defends selling Juan Mata to rival

Jose Mourinho has no problem with Premier League clubs buying from each other in the January transfer window.Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini and Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger have both been critical of Juan Mata's move from Chelsea to Manchester United.

Pellegrini believes big-money moves between domestic rivals should not be allowed in January, whilst Wenger says the move is unfair because Mata will not play Chelsea as United and the Blues have already met twice this season.
Mata will though be able to play City, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Mourinho insists he would have sold Mata to any of Chelsea's rivals, including Arsenal, if the move was right for the player and the club."A team can only play with 11 players, not 12," Mourinho said. "Arsenal is full of top players, City is full of top players, and United is full of top players, so if Juan plays for them it means somebody else is not playing.

"So why not? Every club does this in other countries, so what's the problem to do it here?"If a similar situation happens (and) instead of us, instead of Man United, it's Arsenal or Manchester City or Tottenham or Liverpool, we would do the same.

"If the offer was the same and Juan desired to go, it would be the same."Chelsea had two bids for Wayne Rooney rejected last summer and he does not think selling Mata to United will help them if they return with a third bid at the end of the season.

Mourinho said: "I don't think so. But I don't speak about Rooney. He's a Man United player, but I don't think so."Spain playmaker Mata, who found opportunities limited this term, was permitted to move because all of the elements of the deal were right and because he requested to leave.

"It was a process, a difficult process for him, and not easy for me," Mourinho said."It's difficult for me to leave him out of the team. It's difficult for me to decide that Oscar is going to be my number 10 and that I'm going to build my team around that decision."And it's difficult for him to accept the situation. He's a player with status."He was behaving amazingly well, an example for the other boys to follow, but no happiness. With that status, it's difficult.

"Man United is obviously a big club, and when a player is not happy in this moment at Chelsea, but he loves to be in the Premier League and wants to stay in the Premier League and he thinks about the World Cup and about playing regularly every game, and he sees the stability our team has at the moment with Willian, with Oscar, with Eden (Hazard), he thought about leaving."He's tried to find the best option for him and he decided to go to United, which is understandable."

 

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"Man United is obviously a big club, and when a player is not happy in this moment at Chelsea, but he loves to be in the Premier League and wants to stay in the Premier League and he thinks about the World Cup and about playing regularly every game, and he sees the stability our team has at the moment with Willian, with Oscar, with Eden (Hazard), he thought about leaving."He's tried to find the best option for him and he decided to go to United, which is understandable."

Juan Mata wa Manchester United join wenna chance 1ka dunna nisama newei habai mama Mourinho ge comment 1kakth 1kka agreed!

Team 1ken player kenek yanna hadanawanam eyata thamanta kamathi team 1kakata play karanna denna one

 

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FT: Real Madrid 2-0 Granada (56' Cristiano Ronaldo, 74' Karim Benzema)

#HalaMadrid

 

[panchaz]

FT: Real Madrid 2-0 Granada (56' Cristiano Ronaldo, 74' Karim Benzema)

#HalaMadrid

Madrid midfield eka patta Modric ehema elatama play karnawa

 

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Madrid midfield eka patta Modric ehema elatama play karnawa

Modricwa gattu kaale kochara kattiyak eyata bannada

 

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Lazio 1-1 Juventus: Llorente salvages point for 10-man Bianconeri

Fernando Llorente was Juventus' saviour as the Serie A leaders came from a goal down with 10 men to salvage a 1-1 draw at Lazio on Saturday evening.

The Serie A leaders - who had lost in the same stadium to Roma in the Coppa Italia on Tuesday - appeared to be heading for their first league defeat since October when Antonio Candreva notched from the penalty spot following the dismissal of Gianluigi Buffon, who brought down Miroslav Klose in the area.

But Llorente levelled proceedings in the second half to leave Lazio waiting for a first league triumph over Juventus since December 2003.

In a tight first half, the visitors controlled possession but were hindered when keeper and captain Buffon was beaten to an intricate throughball by Klose, with Candreva keeping his cool to open the scoring from 12 yards.

The second half continued in a similar fashion, and the champions deservedly equalised when a well-worked move was finished by Llorente's fine header.

The draw ends Juve's 12-match winning league run, while Lazio have now won two and drawn two league matches since Edy Reja returned as coach earlier in January.

Lazio restored Hernanes to the starting XI after he scored a last-minute winner at Udinese last weekend, while Angelo Ogbonna moved to centre-back for the visitors, with Giorgio Chiellini suspended.

The visitors started well but only had a speculative half-volley from Arturo Vidal after nine minutes to show for their early efforts.

At the other end, Lazio almost took the lead in bizarre circumstances when Klose caught Buffon in possession and the Germany international's challenge forced the ball just wide of goal.

Buffon's night went from bad to worse when he was shown a straight red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, after bringing down Klose in the area after 24 minutes.

From the resulting penalty, Candreva sent replacement goalkeeper Marco Storari the wrong way to break the deadlock.

Despite that setback, Juve continued to see plenty of the ball and they created a great opportunity nine minutes before half-time when Stephan Lichtsteiner's low centre was collected by Llorente, who turned sharply in the box and forced a smart save from Etrit Berisha.

Juve showed no signs of suffering with their numerical disadvantage after the break, continuing to probe but struggling to orchestrate clear-cut chances.

Antonio Conte's charges showed their ruthlessness on the hour mark, however, as Llorente met Lichsteiner's pin-point cross with a looping header to the far corner.

Buoyed by the leveller, Juve duly pushed for a winner and Carlos Tevez forced Berisha into a superb near-post save with a fierce strike.

However, with 15 minutes remaining, Storari produced a fine point-blank stop to keep out Klose's header from Cristian Ledesma's whipped free-kick.

A near carbon copy of that set-piece then led to Storari holding well from Klose's header, and the hosts kept up their late pressure when substitute Balde Keita curled an effort against the post in the 85th minute, but both sides were forced to settle for a point.

 

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Stevenage 0-4 Everton: Naismith hits double as Toffees cruise in FA Cup

Everton sailed past League One side Stevenage with a 4-0 win to seal their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup.


Steven Naismith scored twice but an injury to Bryan Oviedo overshadowed the win.Naismith's goals came in the first half at the Lamex Stadium as the Premier League high-fliers coasted into the fifth round and gave the side languishing at the bottom of League One a lesson.

However, Costa Rica international Oviedo looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after being carried off with a suspected broken leg following a challenge on Simon Heslop, which came between Naismith's two strikes.

Wantaway defender John Heitinga and Magaye Gueye added further goals for Everton in the second half to keep alive Roberto Martinez's hopes of lifting the cup for a second successive year, the Spaniard having masterminded Wigan Athletic's stunning Wembley win over Manchester City last May.

Aiden McGeady made his first Everton start as Martinez made five changes to his starting line-up following Monday's draw at West Brom. Stevenage winger Filipe Morais was passed fit after recovering from a dead leg.

Martinez claimed home advantage made Stevenage favourites and the second-tier side almost lived up to that billing by scoring the opening goal after only three minutes.The home side caused panic in the Everton defence, but John Stones had to be alert to block Lucas Akins' goal-bound shot after Joel Robles had spilled the ball.

The visitors made the most of that reprieve two minutes later, when goalkeeper Chris Day palmed Kevin Mirallas' shot away to McGeady and his cross from the right was turned in by Naismith from close range.Everton were then rocked as Oviedo fouled Heslop 17 minutes in and came off worse before leaving the field on a stretcher and heading to hospital.

The resulting free kick routine was well worked by Stevenage and Robles got down well to his left to keep out Luke Freeman's left-footed strike.

Naismith was then presented with an opportunity to double Everton's lead after 32 minutes, after Jon Ashton failed to deal with Leon Osman's throughball, and the Scotland forward raced clear before tucking the ball under Day.Mirallas was a real threat and Day denied the Belgium winger with a fingertip save eight minutes into the second half.

Everton did have a third goal just two minutes later, though, and Mirallas was the architect as his acrobatic overhead kick was headed in at the back post by half-time substitute Heitinga.Senegalese strike Gueye then marked his first appearance of the season with a goal when he showed great composure to cut inside and finish with his left foot from inside the area six minutes from time.

Stevenage somehow failed to grab a late consolation when Darius Charles was denied by Robles and Everton cleared after an almighty scramble.

 

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Napoli 1-1 Chievo: Albiol rescues point after Sardo stunner

Raul Albiol snatched a point for Napoli as a battling Chievo side held them to a 1-1 draw on Saturday.

A stunning first-half strike from Gennaro Sardo looked to have sealed a shock win for the Verona outfit, but the Spanish defender's close-range finish in the final five minutes spared the San Paolo side's blushes.

The result provides a valuable point for relegation-threatened Chievo but means Napoli could lose further ground in the Serie A title race when Roma and Juventus both play tomorrow.

Napoli handed a first start since November to Marek Hamsik, while Pepe Reina also returned to the squad following injury and new signing Jorginho joined him on the bench.

Dries Mertens had the pick of the opening chances, as he flashed a header just over the bar from six yards following a whipped cross from Jose Callejon.

But it was Chievo who opened the scoring after 18 minutes. Sardo cut in from the right and played a neat one-two with Alberto Paloschi before rifling a stunning shot into the top corner past the helpless Raffael.

Chievo began to exert their control on proceedings and came close again through Thereau's header, before Higuain contrived to fire across goal and wide when given the open goal at his mercy from Callejon's cross.

Mertens then came close to an equaliser as he rattled the near post following good work from Callejon and Higuain, before Callejon brought a low save from Christian Puggioni as Chievo held on until the break.

Hamsik came close with a deflected shot before Albiol rifled a shot over the bar and Higuain turned a cross just wide as the Partenopei looked to up the tempo after the break.

Mertens then rattled the post once more with a free kick before Puggioni parried another cross, but Napoli continued to be frustrated by a resolute Chievo back line as they battled to find a breakthrough.

The ball barely reached Napoli's half as the match drew to a close but the Partenopei looked to have run out of ideas before an equaliser arrived from an unlikely source.

Mertens' cross bounced up awkwardly off Albiol, who kept his composure to turn and shoot low past Puggioni from 12 yards.

Napoli threw caution to the wind as they looked for a winner but, ultimately, Chievo stood firm for a well-deserved point.

 

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Guingamp 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain: Late Alex goal lets Parisiens limp to draw

Paris Saint-Germain needed a late goal from Alex to salvage a 1-1 draw at Guingamp on Saturday.

Laurent Blanc's men went into the game at Stade du Roudourou knowing a win would put them eight points clear of second-placed Monaco ahead of their clash with Olympique de Marseille on Sunday.

Instead the visitors were frustrated by an industrious and organised Guingamp side, who claimed a fourth draw in their last six top-flight games.

Legitimate goalscoring opportunities proved few and far between throughout the contest, although Edinson Cavani did have a goal disallowed early in the second half for offside.Yet it was Guingamp who went in front inside the final 10 minutes as Mustapha Yatabare scored his sixth league goal of the campaign.However, Jocelyn Gourvennec's men were denied a famous victory, Alex levelling matters to extend PSG's lead at the summit to six points.

Brazilian Marquinhos replaced injured compatriot Thiago Silva in the centre of the PSG defence, while Guingamp made four changes to the side that lost 2-0 to local rivals Lorient last weekend.Both sides went close with efforts from distance in the early going, Yatabare shooting wide for the hosts before Zlatan Ibrahimovic curled narrowly over the bar for PSG.

The champions controlled play for the majority of the first half, but struggled to create chances against a resolute Guingamp defence.Indeed, Blanc's men were reduced to shots from distance, Ibrahimovic forcing a smart save Guy N'dy Assembe with a 30-yard drive.

And PSG were fortunate not to fall behind on the stroke of half-time, as Salvatore Sirigu turned Rachid Alioui's swerving free-kick on to the underside of the crossbar with his foot.

Guingamp made a confident approach to the second half and spurned another chance to go ahead when Yatabare headed wide from Alioui's pinpoint left-wing cross.

The hosts' resistance looked to have been broken after 51 minutes, Edinson Cavani latching on to Thiago Motta's throughballl to slot home, only to be denied by the linesman's flag.Guingamp continued to defend with relative comfort, and Blanc soon shuffled his pack in an attempt to find a winner, Lucas Moura replacing Javier Pastore after 70 minutes.

But it was Guingamp who finally broke the deadlock seven minutes from time as Yatabare scored the goal that Gourvennec's men's efforts merited.The Mali international rose highest to power Alioui's corner into the top corner leaving Sirigu.

Guingamp's lead lasted just three minutes, though, as Alex restored parity with a fine header from x's corner to spare PSG's blushes and make it six Ligue 1 games without defeat for the champions.

 

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Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Cardiff City: Bluebirds march on thanks to Campbell

Cardiff secured their progress into the fifth round of FA Cup at the expense of Bolton thanks to Fraizer Campbell's solitary strike.

Campbell, who came off the bench to provide the decisive strike in a 2-1 win at Newcastle United in the last round, repeated the trick at the Reebok Stadium, scoring the only goal of the game to send his side through to the fifth round for the first time in four years.The former Sunderland man tucked the ball home from a tight angle in the 50th minute after Andy Lonergan failed to deal with a cross from Craig Noone, another substitute.

Bolton were unable to find a leveller as they attempted to put last week's embarrassing 7-1 defeat at Reading behind them.

Dougie Freedman made three changes from that game as Chris Eagles, Mohamed Kamara and Craig Davies all returned.

Cardiff, meanwhile, brought in six fresh faces. Magnus Wolff Eikrem made his maiden start for the club while Andreas Cornelius and Joe Mason, who spent eight games on loan at Bolton earlier in the campaign, featured from the off for the first time this season.

Neither goalkeeper was stretched in an uneventful opening half, Lonergan comfortably tipping Cornelius' deflected shot over the crossbar in the seventh minute.

In first-half stoppage time, Bolton's Lee Chung-Yong sent a left-footed volley a yard wide after a loose ball had dropped to him inside the area.Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a double substitution at the break, Campbell and Noone replacing Cornelius and Eikrem, and it paid almost immediate dividends as Cardiff took the lead.

Alex Baptiste got his head to Noone's cross from the right and the ball was spilled by Lonergan to the feet of Campbell, who swivelled and swept home into an empty net from close to the byline.

Campbell wasted a chance to double his side's advantage within six minutes, heading over from four yards after Lonergan once again struggled to deal with a ball into the box.The hosts responded well, Neil Danns bringing a smart stop out of David Marshall two minutes later with a stinging left-footed drive.

Marshall then had to scramble to his right as Davies' cross was deflected towards goal in the 62nd minute.Five minutes later Marshall was called into action again, flying to his right as Ben Turner deflected Baptiste's cross with his outstretched leg.

Lonergan saved from Kim Bo-Kyung in the final minute but it mattered little as Cardiff held on for their second win under Solskjaer, both of which have come in the FA Cup.Freedman's side have just one win from their last six matches in all competitions.

 

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Sunderland 1-0 Kidderminster: Mavrias on target in comfortable Black Cats win

A famous week for Sunderland ended with more cup success as Charis Mavrias' goal gave them a 1-0 FA Cup fourth-round win over Kidderminster.

Mavrias' early goal proved to be the winner in a contest that Premier League Sunderland controlled but struggled to put to bed.

For their part, Kidderminster - the lowest-ranked side left in the competition and four divisions below their opponents in the Conference National - competed well but ultimately did not have the quality to cause an upset.

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet made 10 changes to his starting line-up following the dramatic League Cup semi-final win over Manchester United in midweek, with only Lee Cattermole retaining his place from the penalty shootout success at Old Trafford.

As expected, new signings Oscar Ustari and Santiago Vergini both started.

For Kidderminster, the injured Lee Fowler was replaced by loanee Jack Dyer, with Argentinian signing Santiago Aloi again starting on the bench.

Backed by 4,000 vocal fans and sporting a daring all-purple kit, Kidderminster were under pressure from the start, and they fell behind in the fifth minute when hesitant defending allowed Greece winger Mavrias to curl a neat finish into the bottom corner from 15 yards.

However, Kidderminster were nearly gifted an equaliser after nine minutes when a slack backpass let in top scorer Michael Gash, whose low shot squirmed under goalkeeper Ustari’s body before the debutant gathered at the second attempt.

With Sunderland controlling play, Kidderminster defended deeply and keeper Daniel Lewis' goal was under siege for much of the first half, with Sebastian Larsson, Emanuele Giaccherini, twice, and a long-range Cattermole effort all going close.

Sunderland started the second half again on the front foot, with Frenchman El-Hadji Ba shooting straight at the keeper from the edge of the penalty area.

Ba was then almost immediately booked for a dangerous challenge, when he clashed heads with the Kidderminster’s Amari Morgan-Smith.

The non-league side defended resolutely and they remained a danger on the break, with Sunderland resorting to long-range efforts as they were frustrated.

Vergini stung Lewis' palms from 30 yards on the hour mark, and then Ba lofted a shot over the crossbar from the edge of the box.

With Poyet keen to wrap up the game, he made a double change after 65 minutes, with Fabio Borini and Craig Gardner entering the fray.

Borini immediately gave the visitors more to think about and he swiftly fired over from 20 yards when he could have done better.

Sunderland played out the last 20 minutes in comfortable fashion with a giantkilling not looking likely.

A late shot from substitute Freddie Ladapo flashed just wide of the post as the visitors carved out one last chance late on, but they just fell short.

 

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Napoli 1-1 Chievo: Albiol rescues point after Sardo stunner

Raul Albiol snatched a point for Napoli as a battling Chievo side held them to a 1-1 draw on Saturday.

A stunning first-half strike from Gennaro Sardo looked to have sealed a shock win for the Verona outfit, but the Spanish defender's close-range finish in the final five minutes spared the San Paolo side's blushes.

The result provides a valuable point for relegation-threatened Chievo but means Napoli could lose further ground in the Serie A title race when Roma and Juventus both play tomorrow.

Napoli handed a first start since November to Marek Hamsik, while Pepe Reina also returned to the squad following injury and new signing Jorginho joined him on the bench.

Dries Mertens had the pick of the opening chances, as he flashed a header just over the bar from six yards following a whipped cross from Jose Callejon.

But it was Chievo who opened the scoring after 18 minutes. Sardo cut in from the right and played a neat one-two with Alberto Paloschi before rifling a stunning shot into the top corner past the helpless Raffael.

Chievo began to exert their control on proceedings and came close again through Thereau's header, before Higuain contrived to fire across goal and wide when given the open goal at his mercy from Callejon's cross.

Mertens then came close to an equaliser as he rattled the near post following good work from Callejon and Higuain, before Callejon brought a low save from Christian Puggioni as Chievo held on until the break.

Hamsik came close with a deflected shot before Albiol rifled a shot over the bar and Higuain turned a cross just wide as the Partenopei looked to up the tempo after the break.

Mertens then rattled the post once more with a free kick before Puggioni parried another cross, but Napoli continued to be frustrated by a resolute Chievo back line as they battled to find a breakthrough.

The ball barely reached Napoli's half as the match drew to a close but the Partenopei looked to have run out of ideas before an equaliser arrived from an unlikely source.

Mertens' cross bounced up awkwardly off Albiol, who kept his composure to turn and shoot low past Puggioni from 12 yards.

Napoli threw caution to the wind as they looked for a winner but, ultimately, Chievo stood firm for a well-deserved point.

Raul Albiol Higuain Callejon Napoli run karanne Madrid set ekak

 

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Birmingham City 1-2 Swansea City: Bony double completes Swans comeback

Two quick goals from Swansea striker Wilfried Bony was enough to see the Swans come from behind to knock Birmingham out and secure their progress into the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Lee Novak gave the hosts the lead with a headed effort 15 minutes in as Swansea struggled to find their feet at St Andrew's, but the introduction of Bony at half-time proved pivotal.

The striker scored twice in in the space of two second-half minutes to stage a comeback that looked unlikely in the opening period and send Swansea into the next round of the competition.The result sees Swansea in the hat for the fifth-round draw for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

Lee Clark handed a debut to loan signing Albert Rusnak as he made five changes to the side that lost 2-0 at home to Yeovil Town last weekend, while Michael Laudrup recalled Roland Lamah and Pablo Hernandez after the pair recovered from injuries.

Rusnak – on loan from Manchester City – had an early opportunity for the hosts, cutting in from the left before seeing his eventual effort deflected wide for a corner.
And Clark's men broke the deadlock in the 15th minute as Novak got his head to a Paul Caddis cross, flicking the ball beyond Gerhard Tremmel for a fourth goal in his last six FA Cup appearances.

Swansea were struggling to settle, and Hernandez squandered an opportunity to level matters midway through the opening period when he blasted over from a Neil Taylor cross.

Chris Burke got the better of Chico Flores on the half-hour mark, but fizzed a strike just wide of the target from 18 yards as Birmingham looked to double their advantage.

The men from South Wales had cause for concern 10 minutes before the break when Tremmel appeared to be knocked out in a collision with Paul Robinson, but the German was soon back on his feet and ready to continue.

Defender Jordi Amat – playing in midfield due to a Swansea injury crisis – showed his attacking deficiencies in the closing stages of the first half, scooping over from close range and wasting a glorious opportunity to equalise.Intent on transforming his side's fortunes in the second half, Laudrup introduced Bony in place of Hernandez at the interval.

Swansea looked marginally better after Bony's arrival, and he was denied by a last-ditch Mitch Hancox tackle on the hour mark, before firing a low shot straight at Colin Doyle in the Birmingham goal.But the Ivorian proved to be the catalyst for sparing Swansea's blushes by netting a two-minute brace to turn the tie on its head.

The £12 million frontman hammered home a volley from a Lamah cross in the 67th minute, before finishing off an incisive attacking move for his second two minutes later, and Birmingham were unable to bounce back from the visitors' quickfire double.