..::Football III::..

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Blanc: PSG must be more clinical against Chelsea

Laurent Blanc says Paris Saint-Germain must be more clinical if they are to defeat Chelsea in their crunch Champions League clash on Wednesday.

The French titleholders warmed up for their last-16 second-leg clash with the Blues at Stamford Bridge by routing Ligue 1 rivals Lens 4-1 at the Parc des Princes on Saturday.Blanc was satisfied with his side's performance, but not their finishing, arguing that they can ill afford to be so profligate against Chelsea.

"The score today is very good and we had no injuries, so it's been a nice game for us," he told his club's official website.

"We picked up all three points, we created a lot of chances and we played some good football."But we need to convert a higher percentage of our openings in four days' time. "It's pretty obvious that we won't have as many chances to score against Chelsea as we did today."

PSG will have net at least once at Stamford Bridge, with their first-leg meeting with Chelsea in Paris having ended 1-1, with Edinson Cavani cancelling out Branislav Ivanovic's opener.

 

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Inzaghi: If Milan sack me, I'll go with my head held high

Pippo Inzaghi says he will leave San Siro with his head held high if he is sacked as AC Milan coach.

It was widely reported before Saturday's Serie A clash with Verona that the former Italy international would be sacked if the Rossoneri failed to triumph at the Giuseppe Meazza.

The hosts looked set to pick up three precious points after responding to Luca Toni's 18th-minute penalty opener with a Jeremy Menez spot kick and a Panagiotis Tachtsidis own goal. However, Nicolas Lopez equalised in the 95th minute, leaving the home fans heartbroken and Inzaghi facing the sack.

"Will I be sacked? Don't ask me," the Rossoneri boss said during an interview with Sky Sport Italia. "I will go with my head held high. "You can say that we played badly tonight but not that we lacked commitment.

"In training, these boys are working with the right spirit. We definitely have to play better, but we must look forward."We're not the Milan we were expecting to see, but we will try to be in the next game."

Inzaghi then reacted angrily to the suggestion that he should not have replaced striker Giampaolo Pazzini with defender Salvatore Bocchetti with 13 minutes remaining."If we had won, it would have been the right decision," he said. "And when Pazzini doesn't play, you ask me why not!

"I thought that in a game like this Salvatore would give us a big hand at the back. I have to make decisions."It's just disappointing that we conceded a goal with 10 seconds to go. We had this game in the bag."

The draw leaves Milan 10th in the Serie A standings, seven points outside the European qualification places.

 

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Sherwood defends Aston Villa pitch invasion: It's not scary unless you're a West Brom player!

Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood defended the pitch invasion that followed his side's 2-0 FA Cup sixth round win over West Brom on Saturday, insisting that the scenes were only scary for the visiting players.

Fans flooded onto the field after Scott Sinclair sealed their victory with a late strike - with Fabian Delph having scored earlier in the game - and again took to the pitch after the full-time whistle.

Delph said after the game that he was scared after he was bitten by some over-eager supporters, but Sherwood downplayed the incident, insisting that it was simply passion taking hold.
"You want to celebrate with the whole crowd," Sherwood told BBC Sport. "I don't think it's scary, it probably is for a West Brom player.

"Emotions are running very high. It's been a huge week for the football club."

Sherwood did, however, admit that the club could not condone the actions of the supporters, and praised the work of the stewards on the scene.

"What can you do? The stewards did their best, I saw them rugby tackle a few guys, but when they are coming on in such numbers it's difficult to stem it," he said.

"I can't condone the fans entering the field, but I have to be totally honest I can understand their emotions, they've just beaten their local rivals twice in a week and once in the quarter-final of the FA Cup, so the emotions are running very, very high."

"But like I say, the club wouldn't condone that sort of action, especially if anyone was touched."
Villa have struggled in the Premier League in 2014-15 - they sit just one place above the relegation zone - and Sherwood dedicated Saturday's victory to the Villa Park faithful, despite their desire to join the players on the pitch.

"It's huge, a massive for the club and we're delighted," he added. "I spoke to the boys in there and I'd like to dedicate it to the fans. They've stuck with us.

"It's great as a day out at Wembley is a great day out for everyone and the fans especially.

"I thought it was boring in the first half and I had a few words during the break and told them to step it up and it worked."

Both teams finished with 10 men as West Brom's Claudio Yacob and Villa substitute Jack Grealish were given second yellow cards - decisions that Sherwood felt were out of keeping with the contest as a whole.

"I didn't see a bad tackle in the whole game," he added.

"It's a shame for Jack Grealish who has his head down in there, but there's plenty more opportunities for him."

 

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Varane: Madrid must remain calm

Raphael Varane says that Real Madrid must remain calm if they are to arrest their current slump in form.

Los Blancos achieved a club-record 22-game winning streak in all competitions earlier in the season but they have not looked like the same since their run came to an end at Valencia immediately after the winter break.

Indeed, they are now set to be displaced at the top of La Liga by Barcelona after being held at home by Villarreal last weekend before then losing 1-0 at Athletic
Bilbao on Saturday.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that Madrid are not playing well and have obvious problems in attack, while Isco says the players are lacking "freshness".

Varane is unsure of what is going wrong but he is adamant that their defeat at San Mames is hardly a reason to panic, particularly with their March 22 trip to Camp Nou looming large on the horizon."The game was decided in the finer details, not finding the decisive pass and other things, and that can be costly," the defender told reporters.

"We are aware of the need to improve. We’re not at our best and we must solve it calmly. "We just need to be focused on the games that are coming up.

"We know that the Clasico will be a very important match and we will prepare for it well with matches against Schalke [on Tuesday] and Levante [on Sunday]."Madrid still lead La Liga by two points from Barcelona but the Catalans will go top if they beat Rayo Vallecano at home on Sunday.

 

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Simeone: Atletico can cope without Griezmann at Valencia

Diego Simeone is confident that Atletico Madrid can cope without Antoine Griezmann in Sunday's crunch Liga clash with Valencia.Griezmann is the Spanish champions' top scorer this season, with 14 goals, but the France international will miss the trip to Mestalla through suspension.Simeone will thus have to rejig his attack, with Fernando Torres, Mario Mandzukic and Raul Garcia all vying for a starting berth.

"We are a team that is able to compensate for the absence of key players," the Atletico coach told reporters. "But we are still evaluating who to play up front.
"We could play with many different pairings: Torres and Mandzukic, Raul and Torres, or Mandzukic and Raul."

While Simeone feels that Atleti have sufficient attacking talent to deal with Griezmann's unavailability, the Argentine freely admits that fourth-placed Valencia represent a formidable foe."They are a very competitive team," the former midfielder ace added. "We said all along that Valencia would challenge us.

"They have players of great vision in midfield. Javi Fuego gives them great balance and they have two wide players who are effectively forwards."All of their players sacrifice themselves for the team defensively. That is why they are coming into this game in good form, having won four straight games.

"Our goal is to go game by game and hopefully continue doing well. The aim of the club is to finish third or fourth."Valencia currently sit just a point behind Atletico in the Primera Division standings, with Sevilla four points further back in fifth.

 

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'People were biting me, it was scary' - Delph on Villa Park pitch invasion

Fabian Delph described the pitch invasion at the end of Aston Villa's FA Cup win over West Bromwich Albion as "dangerous" and "very, very scary", revealing that fans were inadvertently biting him while trying to kiss him.

The midfielder opened the scoring just after the break in Birmingham and, after the Baggies had Claudio Yacob dismissed for a second bookable offence, Scott Sinclair ensured the home side's progression to the last four with his 85th minute strike.

Villa had Jack Grealish sent off in the dying seconds but the red cards were not the main talking points, with the end of the game having been delayed by a mass pitch invasion before the full-time whistle.

"It was very, very scary," the 25-year-old told the BBC. "My armband got nicked, someone got my left boot, but I could appreciate the relief the fans are feeling after a result like that."It was dangerous, though. Someone tried to take my boot off. People tried to kiss me and were biting me.

"It was crazy, I struggled to get off the pitch. I was getting kissed - and even felt a bit of teeth."The win was Villa's second in a week, with Tim Sherwood's men having beaten the Baggies 2-1 in the Premier League in midweek to move out of the relegation zone.

 

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Isco: Madrid can still win at Barcelona

Isco insists that while Real Madrid are "a little bad" right now, Carlo Ancelotti's men remain more than capable of reclaiming control of La Liga by winning at Barcelona in a fortnight.

After being held to a 1-1 draw at home to Villarreal last weekend, Los Blancos suffered a 1-0 loss at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, meaning second-placed Barcelona can go top of the Primera Division by beating mid-table Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou on Sunday.

Isco confessed after the game at San Mames that Madrid's players are struggling to explain their sudden slump in form but the attacking midfielder remains adamant that they can quickly turn things around."We leave here with a negative feeling," the Spain international told reporters. "We had an advantage in the league but now we have lost it after two games without a win.

"We lack freshness and that's not normal for Real Madrid."The league is difficult but it is long and we'll go to Camp Nou in a couple of weeks with all the enthusiasm in the world. "The team is physically well, so that's not an excuse.

"We have a great squad and we can win at Camp Nou in two weeks. It is a decisive match."The team is a little bad now but this happens from time to time.

"Teams go up and down and changing the situation depends on the players. Our duty is to go back to the way we were playing before."Madrid face Schalke in the Champions League and Levante in La Liga before travelling to Catalunya on March 22 for their crunch clash with Barca.

 

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Klopp: Hamburg draw fine for Dortmund

Jurgen Klopp was far from downcast after Borussia Dortmund's recent surge up the Bundesliga standings was halted by a 0-0 draw at Hamburg on Saturday, arguing that the fact they had not picked up any fresh injuries was a "super-positive".

BVB had arrived at the Imtech Arena on a run of four successive victories, thus easing their relegation worries and prompting talk of a late push for a top-four finish, but they failed dismally to turn their possession into clear-cut chances.

Klopp, though, was satisfied with the draw and relieved that Dortmund, who have been ravaged by injuries this season, could report a clean bill of health after the game, with Juventus due at Signal Iduna Park on March 18 for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie."There are many positives to take from the game," he told his club's official website. "We kept HSV at a distance and this is one more point on the board.

"I think if you create few opportunities, then a draw is fine. "Nobody was injured either, so that is a super-positive!"Meanwhile, Hamburg coach Joe Zinnbauer was more than happy with a share of the spoils, as it moved his side two points clear of the drop zone.

"We would not have expected a point beforehand," he added. "We all know the quality of Dortmund."It was not our goal to compete with them in terms of possession and Dortmund were superior in all aspects of the game.

"So, for us, this is an important point in our relegation battle."The draw leaves Dortmund 10th in the Bundesliga standings, nine points behind fourth-placed Schalke, in the final Champions League qualification berth.

 

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Ancelotti: Real Madrid are playing poorly

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti openly admitted that his side are in a period of poor form after Saturday's 1-0 loss at Athletic Bilbao.

Los Blancos were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Villarreal and their defeat at San Mames means that Barcelona can displace them at the top of La Liga with a win over Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou on Sunday.

Gareth Bale went desperately close to cancelling out Aritz Aduriz's headed opener for Athletic when his long-range cross-cum-shot struck the post but, for the most part, Madrid struggled to break their Basque opponents down.Indeed, Ancelotti was the first to admit that Madrid, who have scored 75 goals in La Liga this season but just one in their last two games, are not at the top of their game right now.

"I think we pushed hard in the second half and we were attacking all the time," the Blancos boss told reporters.

"The team has a problem in that we need to have a clearer idea of what we're doing in attack."We don't circulate the ball fast enough and the strikers are not getting any chances.

"It's weird to say that Real Madrid have troubles in attack because we have scoredmany goals but it's true."My team is playing poorly and I have to take all the responsibility.

"But I will not give up because the league is complicated and it is not finished. We will work hard to turn things around."Madrid next face Schalke in the Champions League on Tuesday before resuming their Liga title challenge at home to Levante on Sunday.

 

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Manchester United approached me before hiring Van Gaal, says Conte

Italy coach Antonio Conte has revealed that he was approached by a Premier League team last summer, strongly implied to be Manchester United.

The 45-year-old resigned from Juventus in July 2014 after winning three Serie A titles with the club and subsequently replaced Cesare Prandelli as Italy coach later that summer.

But he has suggested that United sounded him out first over moving to Old Trafford, noting that the club in question eventually hired a new manager who had been in charge of a national team.

"The English team that looked for me ended up signing the coach of a national team," Conte told TV show Grand Hotel Chiambretti, with the coach in question seeming to be former Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal.

"But my challenge with the national team is personal. Becoming a coach where usually the job is to select players, it is inspiring."

The Red Devils had been looking for a new manager after David Moyes, the chosen successor to Sir Alex Ferguson, was fired towards the end of his disastrous first season in charge.

 

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Carragher defends Van Gaal: Manchester United are where they should be

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has defended Louis van Gaal, claiming Manchester United's league position is a fair reflection of where the club should be.

The Red Devils currently sit fourth in the Premier League table and 10 points behind leaders Chelsea despite having spent in excess of €180 million during the summer transfer window, with Van Gaal having been criticised for aspects of their recent performances.

But Carragher believes it would be harsh to expect the Old Trafford outfit to be challenging for the title this term given their seventh-placed finish last season and feels their pre-season outlay should not be taken into account.

"If you envisaged them leading the title race, you would have been kidding yourself," he wrote in his Daily Mail column.

"There was never any chance of United finishing in front of both Chelsea and Manchester City this season, not even after they spent £150.2 million on new players and recruited a coach with a distinguished reputation.

"Yet given the way some people are talking about United at the moment, there seems to be disappointment and mystification that Van Gaal's team are in the middle of a fight to get into the top four and not perched in top spot, setting an unrelenting pace.

"They finished seventh last season and needed to make big improvements but the way it is being made out, you would think they were the only club who bought big when nothing could have been further from the truth. Van Gaal isn't the only manager to get financial assistance.

"Manchester City won the title then spent £88m on new players. Liverpool finished second then invested £114.8m. Chelsea have sold well but have paid out £112.8m since last year; Arsenal's outlay for the same period has been £95m. United's spending shouldn't come into arguments."

United have been labelled as lucky by some pundits due to a number of victories despite below-par showings and Van Gaal himself has admitted his side have underperformed this campaign.

But Carragher feels the former Netherlands coach has been unfairly targeted given how Jose Mourinho has been praised for grinding results out in a similar fashion, and has defended his style of play at the 20-time English champions.

"I keep hearing criticisms of Van Gaal, how his team do not play 'the United way' and regular accusations that they have been lucky but he keeps getting results – if Chelsea grind out a victory, Jose Mourinho gets praised, so when United do the same, why doesn't Van Gaal?

"People can't keep talking about how United used to play under Sir Alex Ferguson. Maybe a British manager would have understood the emotion and traditions of what was expected but Van Gaal, with his CV and ego, was always going to do it his way.

"So what we are seeing– slower possession and the readyness to go more direct to Marouane Fellaini – is not transition. This is now United's style and, so far, it has got them into position that is just about where they should be – and on course to achieve the remit Van Gaal was given."

 

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Shaqiri: Mancini convinced me to join Inter

Xherdan Shaqiri says Roberto Mancini is responsible for him electing to join Inter.
The Switzerland international failed to secure a regular starting place in three years at Bayern Munich, but had no shortage of potential suitors when he revealed he was ready to move away from Bavaria in December.The 23-year-old says Inter fans have coach Mancini to thank for his decision to choose Serie A over potential moves to Spain or England.

“Inter had been in contact with my agents and my brother Erdin for some time,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.“Then there were two phone calls from Mancini. We had two good chats. I immediately felt like I would be very important for him.

“At my age, what interested me most was the chance to play regularly, which hadn’t happened a lot lately.“Mancini explained to me that I would see a lot of time on the pitch. He spoke about his philosophy and that of the club, and his desire to take Inter back to its glorious recent past.”

Inter head to Napoli on Sunday desperate to get back to winning ways following a 1-0 home defeat to Fiorentina but no Serie A side has matched the Nerazzurri's 34 defeats at the San Paolo.Shaqiri says victory would be a huge mental boost as Inter look to make up the ten points separating them from Napoli and Serie A’s final Champions League place.

“It is not easy to win at Napoli, but getting three points there would be very important psychologically. We must play well and try to grow. We have everything it takes to do that.”

 

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Van Gaal must keep Rooney up front, says Andy Cole

Former Manchester United striker Andrew Cole says Louis van Gaal must keep Wayne Rooney up front.

The England captain was moved into midfield following a spate of injuries to the likes of Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini but has netted three times in four games since being restored to his more natural position.

When asked where he felt Rooney's best position was, Cole told Goal: "As a striker. He's a central forward and if the manager trusts him in that position he can score 20 goals.

"He's also playing well as midfielder with his vision, but I believe all supporters want to see Rooney playing in his natural position. His best position is striker."

Cole also delivered his verdict on Roy Hodgson's options for the England national team ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifier with Lithuania at the end of March.

Asked who he felt was the best English striker, Cole added: "Wayne, of course, Wayne! He's a good striker, but he won't play that well as a No.9.

"But he's a good striker and he understands things. He's not a good No.9 because he tends to explore the pitch, but he can still score goals.

"He's having a difficult season, but in the national team with Roy Hodgson it's different. If he's playing as a No.9, he can be better as a No.10 along with Raheem Sterling or Daniel Sturridge."

 

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Di Maria & Ozil must get over bad Real Madrid divorce, says Neville

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes Angel Di Maria and Mesut Ozil must get over leaving Real Madrid if they are to succeed in the Premier League.

Both players have struggled since joining United and Arsenal respectively for combined fees in excess of €120 million, with the Argentine coming under increased scrutiny after twice being substituted early on in games in the last week by manager Louis van Gaal.

Ozil, meanwhile, has failed to replicate his best form on a regular basis since moving to north London in 2013, and Neville feels the pair must move on from their disappointment at departing Madrid.

"Within days of signing for United, Di Maria released a letter to Real Madrid supporters insisting it was never his wish to leave the Bernabeu," he wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph.

"Having grown up in and around Manchester as a United supporter, it is easy to regard the club as the biggest in the world, but we have to accept that, as a South American, playing for Real Madrid or Barcelona is probably the fantasy of every footballer from that part of the world and Di Maria has moved to England after being told he was not wanted at his dream club.

"So he has come to United when he did not want to leave Madrid, has suffered the trauma of a burglary, and started to work for a new manager while playing in a team that is still in a ‘storm’ phase of development.

"All of those are factors that would go some way to explaining why Di Maria has struggled after his bright start."

On Ozil, he added: "Just like Di Maria, Ozil was pushed out of Madrid and he has since struggled to be the game-changer that I believe a £42m [€50m] player should be for Arsenal.

"It is not enough for a player of Ozil's ability, he does not influence games as he should, but maybe Arsenal and United fans need to accept that it will take longer for the German and Di Maria to come good.

"For me, it is as though leaving Real Madrid has been like a bad divorce for the pair of them - a messy end to a relationship that will take maybe eighteen months to two years to overcome.

"So while it would be easy to say that Di Maria must now start playing, stop sulking and get on with justifying his price tag, you cannot ignore the effect that leaving Madrid has had on him - a psychological low which must have been exacerbated by the burglary."

 

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FA Cup Quarter-Finals Fixture 2015.03.08

FA Cup Quarter-Final Fixture 2015.03.08

Liverpool Vs Blackburn​

 

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La Liga 2015.03.08 Fixtures

La Liga 2015.03.08 Fixtures

Barcelona Vs Rayo Vallecano

Real Sociedad Vs Espanyol

Villareal Vs Celta Vigo

Atletico Madrid Vs Valencia​

 

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Serie A 2015.03.08 Fixtures

Serie A 2015.03.08 Fixtures

Cesena Vs Palermo

Chievo Vs Roma

Empoli Vs Genoa

Parma Vs Atalanta

Udinese Vs Torino

Napoli Vs Inter​

 

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Atletico Madrid 1-1 Valencia: Mustafi cancels out Koke's opener

Shkodran Mustafi netted a late equaliser to earn Valencia a 1-1 Liga draw and prevent Atletico Madrid pulling away in the race for automatic Champions League qualification.

The sides were separated by a single point in third and fourth heading into the fixture at Vicente Calderon, where Koke's first-half strike looked set to extend Atleti's advantage.But Mustafi popped up with little more than 10 minutes to play to nod home a goal of huge significance to Valencia and their continental aspirations.

The importance of the encounter was not lost on either set of players in an opening 30 minutes littered with committed challenges and lapses in discipline.But with the game struggling to find it's rhythm, Koke's fizzed 33rd-minute effort promised to inject some much-needed life into proceedings.

While fiercely contested, meaningful goalscoring opportunities were at a premium, although Tiago wasted a glorious chance to double the advantage when he clattered the crossbar from inside the Valencia six-yard box.

And it was the crossbar that provided the assist for Valencia's equaliser, with Dani Parejo's free-kick rebounding off the woodwork and sitting up perfectly for Mustafi to finish.The match would remain all square despite a pair of ill-advised challenges from Javi Fuego meaning Valencia finished with 10 men.

Atleti were without in-form attacker Antoine Griezmann through suspension, while defender Miranda was also banned, and Valencia immediately looked to exploit any potential weakness at the back – Alvaro Negredo trying his luck with an acrobatic effort after four minutes.

Mario Mandzukic was left on the bench for a second consecutive match amid reports of a bust-up with Atleti coach Diego Simeone, but might have found himself called upon in the 18th minute had Fernando Torres seen red for an apparent elbow on Nicolas Otamendi.

The striker got away with a booking, before Juanfran escaped without any punishment when he caught Jose Gaya on the shin with his studs as the pair challenged for a loose ball.

Ill-discipline robbed the first half-hour of any real flow or momentum, but Koke gave the match a shot in the arm with a low drive in the 33rd minute.After Torres headed an Atleti free-kick into the danger area, Tiago laid the ball off for Koke to rifle home from the edge of the box, although there were suspicions of handball surrounding the assist.

Valencia started the second half brightly, but it was the hosts who continued to look the most likely to find the net.Diego Alves had to be alert to keep out Garcia as he looked to turn home a Torres nod-down, before Tiago hit the crossbar from close range after the ball was headed down from a corner.

Mandzukic was given his chance as a 61st-minute replacement for Torres, but unnecessarily got himself involved in a confrontation with Otamendi within minutes of coming on, earning a booking.But worse was to come for Atleti, as Mustafi headed in after Parejo's 78th-minute free-kick from deep rebounded kindly.

Valencia saw Fuego dismissed for a two bookings in as many minutes late on but held out to preserve the narrow margin between these sides in the Liga table.

 

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Napoli 2-2 Inter: Icardi's cheeky penalty punishes profligate Partenopei

Mauro Icardi's late penalty earned Inter a 2-2 draw at 10-man Napoli, as Rafael Benitez's men spurned a two-goal lead and the chance to close the gap on second-placed Roma.

The Giallorossi's draw with Chievo earlier on Sunday paved the way for the Partenopei to move within two points of the automatic Champions League places in the clash at the San Paolo.

It appeared as though that would be the case, as Marek Hamsik's 51st-minute header and a superb long-range strike from Gonzalo Higuain put Napoli deservedly in control.However, the visitors hit back via Rodrigo Palacio with 18 minutes remaining and the turnaround was completed in the 87th minute courtesy of Icardi's chipped penalty, after Henrique had received his second yellow card for a tug on Fredy Guarin.

Ultimately, Napoli coach Benitez - who had an unhappy spell as Inter boss between June and December 2010 - was left to rue a series of missed first-half chances, with the usually clinical Higuain particularly wasteful.A draw changes little for either side in terms of their league standing, with Inter six points adrift of the Europa League places.

The home side started well and Higuain worked half a yard on the edge of the box before forcing a smart one-handed save from Samir Handanovic.The lively Higuain was sent clear by Hamsik down the right in the 13th minute, but the angle proved too tight and he dragged his shot wide of the far post.Higuain then saw a tame chip palmed away by Handanovic before the Argentina international missed the best chance of the match in the 31st minute.

Hamsik played in Dries Mertens down the left and his cross to the back post just needed Higuain to side-foot home the simple volley, but he somehow blazed wide.
The breakthrough finally came six minutes into the second half.Jose Callejon picked out Henrique's overlap on the right flank and the full-back's pinpoint cross was headed home nonchalantly by Hamsik.

The goal seemed to force Inter into action as first Icardi glanced a header wide from Xherdan Shaqiri's cross, before the latter's whipped corner was headed over the crossbar by Danilo D'Ambrosio.

But the visitors' spell of dominance was brief as Higuain finally got his name on the scoresheet in the 63rd minute.The striker collected Hamsik's short pass before curling an unstoppable 20-yard shot past Handanovic - the ball clipping the right-hand post on its way in.

Inter were handed a late lifeline, though, as Palacio drilled home from eight yards following a bout of pinball in the Napoli penalty area.And Napoli's capitulation was complete with three minutes remaining, as Henrique was given his marching orders for a foul on Guarin and Icardi kept his cool from the spot to level it up.

 

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Liverpool 0-0 Blackburn: Frustrated Reds forced into FA Cup replay

Liverpool must win at Ewood Park to secure their place in the FA Cup semi-finals after being frustrated by a resilient Blackburn at Anfield.

Brendan Rodgers' men headed into the quarter-final tie with six wins from their last seven matches in all competitions.

But they endured a frustrating afternoon against their Championship opponents, creating little of note in the first half after their defender Martin Skrtel required extended medical attention following an aerial challenge with Blackburn frontman Rudy Gestede.

Kolo Toure, on in place of Skrtel, hit the post as Liverpool increased the pressure during the second period but they must now head to Ewood Park to maintain their hopes of giving club captain Steven Gerrard - an injury absentee once more on Sunday - a memorable Wembley send-off.

Skrtel landed heavily and momentarily lost consciousness following a second-minute aerial duel with Gestede and the Liverpool man left the field on a stretcher - gesturing positively to the crowd following a worryingly long period of treatment.

Gestede made his presence felt once more in the 13th minute, climbing powerfully to beat Simon Mignolet to the ball but heading wide.

Liverpool were still struggling for their usual fluency as Adam Lallana had a 19th-minute penalty claim rejected - Rovers defender Matt Kilgallon completing a risky last-ditch challenge.

Raheem Sterling got back to block Gestede as the striker wound up a volley, the ball striking the England man's hand but prompting no penalty appeal from Blackburn.

The clearest opening of the first half fell to the visitors in the 32nd minute as the impressive Gestede dummied cleverly for Craig Conway to slice wastefully off target.

Toure was caught out of position on that attack and he was soon involved at the other end, converting Daniel Sturridge's set-piece knockdown from an offside position.

Blackburn goalkeeper Simon Eastwood was under employed during the first half but reacted sharply to beat away a venomous shot on the turn from Sturridge during the seventh of eight minutes added on for Skrtel's injury.

It was announced on the Anfield public address system at half-time that the Slovakia international, who went to hospital for a precautionary scan, had suffered no serious damage but his team-mates still grasped unconvincingly for their best form when the action resumed.

Mignolet needed a save of the highest quality to keep out Alex Baptiste’s header from Conway's 49th-minute corner.

The game's latest marginal penalty shout arrived in the 55th minute as Kilgallon put his arm across Sturridge and the England striker went down. Again, referee Andre Marriner was unmoved.

Toure almost broke the deadlock as the hour approached, heading Philippe Coutinho's free-kick from the left into the turf and against the right-hand post.

In the 73rd minute, Baptiste misjudged a defensive header but Sturridge could only blast wide of the near post.

There was relentless Liverpool pressure during the closing stages but, aside from a save on the angle to deny Jordan Henderson in the 83rd minute, Eastwood was well protected.

As they did in round four after being held by Bolton Wanderers, Liverpool must now travel to a Championship club to progress, while Blackburn retain hopes of repeating their giant-killing feats of two seasons ago against Arsenal.