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Europa League | Round-Of-32
Feb 20, 2014 at 8.05pm UK
 
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Live Commentary: Swansea City 0-0 Napoli - as it happened

:Headline: Live Commentary: Swansea City 0-0 Napoli - as it happened: ID:139720: from db_amp
Relive a historic night for Swansea City as they draw with Italian giants Napoli in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie.

Swansea City were held to a goalless draw by Italian giants Napoli in the first leg of their Europa League last 32 tie this evening.

The visitors started well with two good chances in the opening five minutes, but it was Swansea who dominated the remainder of the half, missed a host of clear openings.

It was more of the same in the second as the hosts controlled the game but were unable to find the back of the net as Napoli hung on for the draw.

You can read how an action-packed 90 minutes unfolded with Sports Moles's live play-by-play coverage below.

Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Europa League match between Swansea City and Napoli. We have no time to waste, so let's have a look at the teams for both sides!
SWANSEA STARTING XI: Vorm; Rangel, Chico, Williams, Davies; Britton, Canas, Hernandez, Routledge, Dyer; Bony
NAPOLI STARTING XI: Cabral; Maggio, Henrique, Britos, Reveillere; Dzemaili, Inler, Callejon, Insigne; Hamsik, Higuain
What a huge match this is for Swansea, who were in the bottom tier of English football not too long ago. To come up against a team the size of Napoli is a huge challenge, and it will be interesting to see how they get on tonight.
KICKOFF: We're underway at the Liberty Stadium as Swansea look to pull off a major shock. Garry Monk is still a very inexperienced manager, so this is a huge test for him so early in his career.
CLOSE! The visitors come close early on as Inler comes forward before laying the ball off to Callejon. The Spaniard has a bit of time to pick his spot, and ends up driving a low shot just past the far post. Warning shot for Swansea.
SAVE! Superb football from Napoli as they come pouring forward in numbers. It is Hamsik who eventually produces the shot, drilling a powerful effort towards the bottom corner that Vorm does really well to push wide.
SAVE! Great football and a great save at the other end now! Dyer does well down the right flank, rolling the ball in to Hernandez before making himself available for the return pass. He curls a first-time effort towards the top corner from the edge of the box when he does eventually get the pass, and it takes a tremendous stop from Rafael to put it behind for a corner.
Rafael is called into action yet again as he comes flying out to intercept a dangerous cross from the left. This has been an incredible start to the match, with both sides playing some lovely football early on.
Napoli started really well, but Swansea are starting to stamp their mark on the match now. Bony receives the ball around 25 yards from goal and he turns before drilling a low shot some way wide of the post. More positive play from the hosts, though.
SHOT! Bony has another effort just moments later, and this one was a real piledriver. The ball sat up perfectly for him to hammering it towards goal, but it swings a few yards wide of the other post this time.
This really has been a good start to the match. Napoli's two chances in the opening five minutes will have had some Swansea worrying that they were in for a long night, but since then they have hit back and have created chances of their own. This one is shaping up to be a very good match indeed.
Both sides are attacking very positively whenever they get the ball. Napoli are happy for Swansea to have a lot of the ball and come forward, but as soon as the Italians get it they break forward at alarming pace. Swansea are fine when they have the ball, but when Napoli get it they need to be very careful.
Lovely play on the right as Dyer exchanges a one-two with a teammate before standing a cross into the middle, but it is coolly chested back to his own keeper by Maggio. Dyer has been particularly bright in the opening 15 minutes.
Superb from Dyer yet again as he takes his man on down the right before clipping a cross into the middle that is just an inch too high for an unmarked Bony in the middle.
Napoli are looking to play their passes very quickly in order to catch the Swansea defence off guard, but it hasn't quite come off since those two early chances. Swansea are on top at the moment, and Garry Monk will be delighted with the start his side have made.
Higuain has just gone off the field momentarily to get his knee sprayed due to a bit of blood. It is nothing serious, but the referee orders him off the pitch and he is not happy about it. Napoli are momentarily down to 10 men.
CHANCE! Huge chance for Bony to give Swansea a shock lead. All the credit has to go to Hernandez, who threads a magnificent pass through the eye of the needle to set the striker through on goal. Bony perhaps just takes one touch too many, but Rafael still has to pull off a really good save to deny him.
It has been a very good start for Rafael in the Napoli goal. He has made two important and impressive saves already, which he will be delighted with considering first-choice Pepe Reina is on the bench.
Great defending from Chico Flores as he stands up to Inler before timing his tackle to perfect as the Swiss midfielder tried to burst past him. He had to get that spot on, and he did.
Swansea uncharacteristically give the ball away in a dangerous area, and Higuain immediately pounces on the mistake. He sends a dangerous delivery towards the back post, but Davies is there to nod it behind for a corner.
This match has just settled a little after a frenetic opening in which both teams looked to attack at every available opportunity. The build-up play is now becoming more patient and more measured, with Swansea doing their usual trick of dominating possession. They have not been over-awed by the occasion.
CHANCE! Another chance for Bony as he rises highest in the area to meet a looping cross from Hernandez, but he can't get enough power on his header to really trouble Rafael, who gathers fairly comfortably.
Lovely football from Napoli as they play some one-touch stuff in and around the Swansea box. It eventually fizzles out when Insigne can't get a shot or pass away, prompting Higuain to throw his arms up in frustration. He was in a good position to finish what was a very fluid move.
Swansea are 35 minutes in to this match and they are more than holding their own against the might of Napoli. The Welsh side have drawn plenty of admirers on these shores for the style of their football, and they may well gain a few more fans abroad if they carry on like this.
SHOT! Davies sends in an awkward low cross that Rafael can only punch to the edge of the box. Canas is quick to win it back before sending a decent volley a few yards over the crossbar. Another sight of goal for the hosts, who should be ahead here.
Sublime skill from Routledge as he produces a Marseille roulette to take him past two players, only to see his shot from the edge of the box blocked. Napoli's most famous player is one Diego Maradona, and I dare say even he would have been proud of that little piece of skill.
CHANCE! Another huge chance for Swansea as Napoli fail to cover a short corner routine from Swansea. The ball is floated over to the back post where Ashley Williams is waiting, and he has time to steady himself before planting a header over the bar. He knows how good that chance was.
I just wonder whether Swansea will live to rue these missed chances. They could and should be two or three ahead by now, but Napoli have the quality to punish a team in a split second, and you can guarantee that they won't be as wasteful as Swansea have been.
SHOT! Routledge squares up Maggio on the left before dropping a shoulder and coming inside to fire a powerful effort towards goal that is just tipped over the bar from Rafael for a corner.
SAVE! Rafael is called upon again as Rangel comes flying in at the back post to loop a fine header towards goal. It is going to drop under the bar until the keeper gets a hand on it to turn it behind for yet another corner.
The fourth official indicates a minimum of two minutes added time at the end of the first half.
The referee is adding a little more to the original two minutes due to an injury to Rafael, but I can't imagine it'd be too much longer. Napoli will be happy to reach the break level.
HALF TIME: Swansea City 0-0 Napoli
Well, what a performance that was from Swansea. For a side who have never featured at this stage of a European competition before, they have been magnificent. Don't forget that Napoli were rubbing shoulders with Dortmund and Arsenal in the Champions League before Christmas, beating both of them. Now, they are struggling at the Liberty Stadium with Swansea running riot at times. The only disappointing thing for the visitors is that it remains goalless.
I must admit that I thought it could be one-way traffic in Napoli's favour when they made a blistering start to the match. Callejon flashed a low effort just past the post while Hamsik drew a fine stop from Vorm, both within five minutes of the start of the match. However, since then, all the chances have fallen the way of Swansea and Napoli have struggled to create anything with their impressive strikeforce.
Most of the hosts' chances have fallen to Bony - who is the man they would have wanted them to fall to. He has had a couple of efforts from outside the box move wide, but two of his chances stand out. The first he was released by a truly world-class pass from Hernandez but couldn't beat Rafael one-on-one, taking one too many touches inside the area. He also leapt highest to meet a looping cross into the box, but couldn't get enough power on his header to trouble the keeper.
Nathan Dyer was arguably the best player on the field in the first 45 minutes, and he came very close to opening the scoring early on with a fine curling effort that drew a superb stop from Rafael. His general play has been very bright as he looks to take on his man at every available opportunity and, most of the time, he has been successful. Napoli simply haven't been able to deal with Dyer at times.
The Swans even fashioned a great chance for Ashley Williams in that half too. He was left unmarked at the back post and was duly picked out by a pinpoint cross, but he nodded his effort over the bar when he should have done better. His reaction told everyone just how good a chance it was.
As for Napoli, their best player so far has been Rafael in goal. The Brazilian has been a lot busier than he would have expected this evening and has made some very important saves. His stops from Dyer and Bony stand out, but he has also pulled off a few more acrobatic saves to keep Swansea out. He will be hoping that he doesn't have as much to do in the second half, if indeed he reappears having seemingly siffered a slight knee injury towards the end of the half.
The only worry for Garry MOnk right now would be the fact that his side have failed to turn their possession and chances into goals. Napoli have had less possession in this match than they did in any of their Champions League games, but they are still level. The Italians are more than capable of taking any chance that comes their way, and Swansea can't afford to continue to being so wasteful in front of goal. Not only could that cost them on the night, but it could also cost them the chance of progressing in the tie.
NAPOLI SUB: Indeed Rafael will not reappear for the second half following that injury. It isn't exactly a bad replacement for the visitors, however, as Pepe Reina comes on.
KICKOFF: We're back underway in South Wales. Can Swansea build upon that superb performance in the first half or will Napoli hit back?
It looks like Swansea may have picked up where they left off with a slick passing move in the Napoli third that results in a deflected shot that is then cleared out for a throw in. They've gone straight back onto the front foot.
Good play from Vorm as he comes a long way off his line to win the ball before Higuain, who looked to be clean through on goal. The keeper dribbles with it dangerously for a while before putting it safely out for a throw.
CHANCE! Big chance for Napoli as Higuain peels off his man and is picked out by a floated cross over the top. He lines up an inviting volley, but blasts his effort a long way off target. It was by no means an easy chance, and it would have been some goal, but a player of his quality should be doing better there.
Dzemaili picks up the ball a long way from goal and opts to shoot, but it is a real waste as his tame effort goes harmlessly wide for a goal kick.
Hernandez and Dyer have linked up brilliantly tonight. They do so again on the right before the ball eventually falls to Chico, who goes for an ambitious volley. The strike ends up a long way wide, but it almost fell into the path of an unmarked Bony in the area.
UPDATE: There are interesting scores developing elsewhere in Europe tonight, most notably Ajax losing 3-0 at home to Red Bull Salzburg. Ludogorets are also winning away to Lazio, while Porto and Betis are ahead in their matches. Maribor, meanwhile, are drawing with Sevilla.
YELLOW CARD! Pablo Hernandez is the first man in the book, and it is an incredible harsh one. There is no way that foul warranted a caution.
SWANSEA SUB: That will be Hernandez's last action as he makes way to be replaced by Jonathan de Guzman. That is an interesting decision from Monk as Hernandez has been sensational tonight.
More lovely football from Swansea in the Napoli third ends with a sliced long-range effort from Rangel. The build-up play from Swansea is a joy to watch tonight, and they are outplaying a team of Napoli's quality, which says it all.
YELLOW CARD! Insigne goes into the book for a totting up process, although the referee took his time making the decision. The straw that broke the camel's back was a trip on Dyer, which has given Swansea a free kick in a good crossing position from the right.
Aside from that Higuain chance, which was far from a sitter, Napoli have still not created anything since the fifth minute of that match. It has been a memorable European performance from a team inexperienced in such matters, and they just need a goal to make sure they get a memorable result as well.
It is worth noting, of course, that Rafael Benitez is vastly experienced in European competition and is one of the best tacticians around. His side have found it hard to deal with Swansea at times tonight, but you certainly wouldn't put it past them grabbing a late winner.
Nice play from Callejon as he slips the ball through the legs of Davies, but his finish is askew as he tries to toe poke it into the top corner with two white shirts bearing down on him. That was a waste of a good position for the Spaniard, who seemed to panic a little.
UPDATE: The winners of this match will face the winners of Porto's tie with Frankfurt, and there has been a second goal in that game. It has again gone to Porto, who have now a 2-0 home lead over the Germans. Advantage very much Porto.
CHANCE! He had a great chance in the first half, and he has just had another here! Williams peels off his man and rises well to nod a De Guzman free kick towards goal, but Reina reacts well to save the close-range effort. That was a big opportunity, but this time it is hard to see what more Williams could have done.
It must be said that Swansea have gone off the boil a little in this second half in terms of chances created. Rafael's goal was peppered with shots in the first half, but that Williams chance is the first time Reina has had a save to make.
They have lacked as much spark since Hernandez went off, to be honest. He was playing really well and linking up with Bony and Dyer to cause Napoli all sorts of problems. Since he departed, the hosts haven't quite had that.
YELLOW CARD! Maggio goes into the book for a bodycheck on Routledge, who had taken his full-back on and was about to race into the box. Swansea now have a free kick in a very good position.
SWANSEA SUB: Before the free kick is taken, the hosts make a change and it is a first appearance under Monk for Jonjo Shelvey, who replaces Canas.
YELLOW CARD! The kick is further delayed by the Napoli wall refusing to step back the requisite 10 yards, and eventually the ref loses patience and shows a yellow card to Hamsik.
After all that, De Guzman goes and balloons his free kick well over the crossbar. That is really disappointing for a player of his quality from set pieces.
NAPOLI SUB: The visitors make a change as Insigne to replaced by Dries Mertens in a like-for-like change in midfield.
CHANCE! Superb stop from Reina to deny Routledge. Bony gives the ball to Shelvey, who in turn slips in Routledge on the left side of the box. The winger opens his body and tries to curl an effort into the top corner, only for Reina to fly to his left and beat it away.
Worrying sign for Dyer as he goes down after trying to volley the rebound of that Reina save. He receives treatment on the field before limping off, and it doesn't look like he will be able to continue.
SWANSEA SUB: Indeed, Dyer does come off and Marvin Emnes is his replacement. That is a sad end to what has been a superb performance from Dyer. He has really flourished on the big stage.
Time is running out for Swansea to capitalise on their dominance of this match. A 0-0 draw against Napoli would have been laughed out of the building a few years ago at Swansea, but they will see this as a waste of an opportunity.
CHANCE! Bony has been really good up front for Swansea today - apart from his finishing. He shows good strength again here to beat two men in the air, but he can't steer his header on target.
NAPOLI SUB: The visitors make a straight swap up front as Higuain strolls off the field to be replaced by Goran Pandev - a Champions League winner.
CHANCE! Yet another huge chance for Swansea as Chico Flores make a great run that is not tracked to get on the end of a free kick. He is completely unmarked as he tries to flick the ball on, but he diverts it straight into the arms of Reina. It wasn't the easiest of chances, but he probably should have scored.
YELLOW CARD! Moments after that Chico Flores chance, De Guzman goes into the referee's notebook, although I join him in not knowing exactly why.
I've just seen the De Guzman 'offence' that earned him a yellow, and it is another very harsh decision. He went up to win a header and his knee caught his man in the back, but he won the aerial challenge and I would question whether it was even a foul.
Swansea are still patiently probing for one last chance. They have not been as free-flowing and exciting in this second half, but they have still been in control of the match. Even if they don't get the winner, they can be very proud of their performance.
There will be four added minutes at the end of this match. Still time for the hosts to earn a historic victory!
Swansea's chances back in Naples are certainly questionable, but they have shown tonight that they can at least match their more illustrious opponents. If they can produce a similar performance in the away leg, then there is no reason why they can't reach the last 16 and claim a huge European scalp.
FULL TIME: Swansea City 0-0 Napoli
Well, Swansea can certainly hold their heads up high after that performance. The Welsh side were not over-awed by the big occasion one bit and outplayed Napoli for large periods of the match. The only thing that was missing was a goal, but they will take plenty of confidence into the return leg in Naples next week.
Napoli did create two good chances in the opening five minutes, but for the remaining 85 Swansea were on top. Their first half performance was a joy to watch and, while the second half one wasn't quite as enthralling, they still created a few chances and controlled the game. They certainly missed an opportunity to take a first-leg lead in this match, but that tinge of disappointment will be eased by the pride from their display.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Europa League action. We may not have had any goals at the Liberty Stadium this evening, but there was no shortage of action or quality on show. Ultimately, it is advantage Napoli as they will be at home in the second leg, but Swansea will take great heart from their performance tonight. Stick around for our match report and analysis, and be sure to check back in tomorrow and over the weekend for plenty more live football. Until then, though, it is goodbye from me!

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