SM
Man City vs. Everton: 10 hrs 42 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
SL
Europa League | Round-Of-32
Feb 20, 2014 at 8.05pm UK
 
NL

0-0

 
FT

Swansea City unable to find a way past Napoli

:Headline: Result: Swansea City unable to find a way past Napoli: ID:139789: from db_amp
Swansea City are unable to take a first-leg lead against Napoli, despite being on top for the majority of the match.

Swansea City and Napoli have played out a goalless draw in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-32 match.

The visitors went close early on when Gokhan Inler ran forward before finding Jose Callejon. The Spaniard had time to pick his spot, but hit a low shot just past the far post.

Napoli again showed their quality just minutes later, pouring forward in numbers. Marek Hamsik eventually produced a shot, drilling a powerful effort that Michel Vorm pushed wide.

However, Swansea showed that it was not all about Rafael Benitez's side with some great football of their own.

Nathan Dyer did well on the right flank, rolling the ball in to Pablo Hernandez before making himself available for the return pass.

He then curled a first-time effort towards the top corner, but Rafael Barbosa was able to put it behind for a corner. Wilfried Bony also hammered a volley wide for the home side.

The Swans probably should have taken the lead with just over 20 minutes played. Hernandez found Bony, who ran through with a clear sight of goal. He took too many touches, however, and Rafael produced a good save to keep it goalless.

Garry Monk's side continued to create chances as the first half reached its conclusion, but Jose Canas fired over, Ashley Williams missed with a header when free in the box, and Rafael just managed to keep out Angel Rangel's looping effort.

Napoli responded in the second half and had a big chance to take the lead. Gonzalo Higuain beat his man and was picked out by a cross over the top. He attempted to find the net with a volley, but blasted his effort a long way over.

Pepe Reina, who had come on for Rafael at the break, then denied Williams from close range. However, he made a much better save a few minutes later, keeping out Wayne Routledge's curling effort.

Bony missed another chance and Chico Flores fired his shot straight at Reina as the match entered the final 10 minutes.

amp_article__139789 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2014-02-21 17:59:17:
html db last update - 2014-02-21 17:59:17 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd22155232112148
2Leeds UnitedLeeds22136341152645
3Burnley2212822891944
4Sunderland22127334181643
5Blackburn RoversBlackburn2111462518737
6Middlesbrough22105738281035
7West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom22811326161035
8Watford2110473028234
9Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds229582830-232
10Millwall217772118328
11Swansea CitySwansea227692424027
12Bristol City226972628-227
13Norwich CityNorwich226883734326
14Queens Park RangersQPR2251072328-525
15Luton TownLuton2274112538-1325
16Derby CountyDerby2266102728-124
17Coventry CityCoventry2266102834-624
18Preston North EndPreston2241172229-723
19Stoke CityStoke2257102330-722
20Portsmouth204882535-1020
21Hull City2247112131-1019
22Cardiff CityCardiff2146111934-1518
23Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2146112137-1618
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth2146112245-2318
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .