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Napoli logo
Europa League | Round-Of-32
Feb 27, 2014 at 6pm UK
 
Swansea logo

3-1

Insigne (17'), Higuain (78'), Inler (90')
FT(HT: 1-1)
de Guzman (30')

Live Commentary: Napoli 3-1 Swansea City - as it happened

Relive Napoli's 3-1 win over Swansea this evening courtesy of Sports Mole's live coverage of the Europa League last 32 second leg.
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Swansea City's European campaign came to an end this evening courtesy of a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo.

The hosts took the lead in the 17th minute when Lorenzo Insigne lobbed the ball over Michel Vorm, but Jonathan de Guzman levelled things up for his side before the break.

Swansea almost held out for a famous aggregate victory, but late goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Gokhan Inler saw Napoli through to the last 16 at the expense of Garry Monk's side.

You can read how an entertaining 90 minutes unfolded with Sports Mole's live coverage of the match below.


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Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Europa League clash between Napoli and Swansea City. There were no goals in the first leg, but if we get a repeat of that display tonight then we are in for a treat. t was a thoroughly entertaining match in South Wales, and both sides will hopefully look to put on a similar show in Naples this evening.

We'll start by looking at our hosts this evening, who will certainly not be underestimating Swansea tonight having been outplayed for much of the first leg match last week. The Italian giants started that match very well but were pushed back by an impressive Swansea and were forced to rely on some inspired goalkeeping to keep the scores down.

They followed last week's draw with another one at the weekend, being held in Serie A by Genoa to leave them a full 15 points behind runaway leaders Juventus. They are also six points behind second-placed Roma, while the same gap separates them from fourth. Champions League football looks to be on the agenda again this season, but for now their full attention will be on the Europa League.

It is a trophy that Napoli manager Rafael Benitez takes very seriously, as proven by his record in it. He is a two-time winner of the competition, most recently lifting the trophy just last season when he guided Chelsea to success in it. He is aiming to win it in consecutive seasons with two different clubs this time around.

They will certainly be one of the favourites to go all the way having been unfortunate to be eliminating from the toughest group in the Champions League. They finished level on points with both Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal but missed out on goal difference, being relegated to the Europa League will the other two progressed in the Champions League. Their home record this season is exemplary, with just one defeat at the Stadio San Paolo all season. They won all three of their Champions League group games here and have also beaten the likes of Inter Milan, AC Milan and Roma at home this season.

They come into this match unbeaten in their last five outings in all competitions, while they have also only conceded one goal in their last four. However, they may have unhappy memories of this stage of the Europa League having been dumped out of the last 32 in unceremonious fashion last season, losing 5-0 on aggregate to Viktoria Plzen.

A repeat of that this evening would make for a famous night in the history of Swansea, but they will be in no doubt of the scale of the challenge that faces them this evening. They have never reached the last 16 of this competition and have only ever won two of their 12 away matches in Europe, drawing one and losing the remaining nine. With Napoli having such an impressive home record, it will have to be some performance from the visitors to progress into the next round.

However, they will have been given a huge confidence boost from their performance in the first leg, where they more than matched their more illustrious opponents. It was a superb display from Garry Monk's side, and the only thing missing from it was a goal. If they can pull off a similar performance tonight then they stand a decent chance of going through.

The frustrating thing for Garry Monk will be the fact that one goal will have been enough to give them a decent lead for this second leg, but three goals wasn't enough for them to get anything out of their most recent outing, which saw them lose to Liverpool. That stretched their winless streak to four matches in all competitions, although their performances have warranted a better record than that.

Swansea could well come into this match with one eye on their Premier League plight, as they currently sit just four points clear of the relegation zone. That will undoubtedly be their priority, but claiming a scalp the size of Napoli's would be a major boost for the side and could spur them on to greater things domestically too.

The Swans finished second in their group, winning two, drawing two and losing two of their six matches. That left them five points behind group winners Valencia and two clear of third and fourth, which is a very respectable finish for a side making its first European appearance in more than 20 years.

NAPOLI STARTING XI: Reina; Maggio, Henrique, Albiol, Ghoulam; Inler, Behrami, Insigne; Pandev, Callejòn, Higuain

NAPOLI SUBS: Reveillere, Britos, Mertens, Hamsik, Dzemaili, Zapata, Colombo

SWANSEA STARTING XI: Vorm; Tiendalli, Chico Flores, Williams, Davies; Canas, De Guzman, Hernandez, Routledge, Emnes; Bony

SWANSEA SUBS: Tremmel, Amat, Taylor, Rangel, Pozuelo, Dyer, Ngog

PREDICTION: We're just five minutes from kickoff in Naples, which means that it is time for my match prediction! Swansea played really well in the first leg, but an away tie against Napoli could just be a bridge too far for Monk and his men. I don't expect them to go down without a fight, but the hosts should have enough to get the win. I'll go for 2-0 to Napoli.

The hosts do boast an impressive record against British teams at the Stadio San Paolo, winning six and drawing two of their eight home European ties against sides from England, Wales and Scotland. It will take an almighty effort from Swansea to inflict a first defeat on Napoli.

The teams are out on the field now on what will be a special night in the careers of these Swansea players in particular. Even if they lose, this is a great moment for the club, who could not have dreamed that they would be in this position a few years ago.

KICKOFF: Napoli get us underway for a big match for both sides. Remember that the first leg ended 0-0, which means that a win for either side tonight would be enough to see them through to the last 16.

Swansea are seeing plenty of the ball early on, which won't come as much of a surprise to Napoli following the first leg. Swansea enjoyed 69% possession last week and, while they can't expect similar figures tonight, they will look to play their usual style and dominate possession.

Napoli's first shooting opportunity falls to Higuain from the edge of the box, but his powerful effort is very well blocked by Ashley Williams.

Superb play from Insigne as he turns his man inside his own half before driving into the Swansea half and within shooting range. His eventual effort is high and wide of Vorm's goal, but it was good, positive play from the midfielder.

Williams concedes an early free kick in a dangerous crossing position, but Napoli can't make the most of it. The ball was played low into the middle before being flicked on towards the back post. Albiol is waiting there and has plenty of time, but his header goes well off target.

Good defending from Williams as he moves into a clever position to cut out Insigne's through ball. Napoli are beginning to get the ball in some threatening positions here.

This time it is Albiol's turn to make an important interception, plucking the ball out of the air just as it looked like Hernandez could be in behind the defence. That really was a vital block as Hernandez would have been clean through on goal without it.

OFF THE LINE! Swansea come close to getting an invaluable away goal! Hernandez sees his initial pass towards Routledge come back to him off a defender before slipping the ball inside the defender for Emnes to run on to. He dinks it over Reina, but Albiol gets back well to make a vital clearance off the line. Great counter attacking stuff from the visitors.

That chance will give Swansea a lot of belief here. They now know that they can create chances against this Napoli side in Italy, and I would be very surprised if that was the last opportunity they have this evening.

CHANCE! Big chance for the hosts to take the lead. Higuain gives the ball into Pandev inside the box before ghosting unmarked into space. Pandev wriggles from left to right before giving it back to Higuain, who completely fluffs his shot and misses the target when you would have fancied him to score.

GOAL! Napoli 1-0 Swansea (Lorenzo Insigne)

First blood to Napoli! Tiendalli races up to try to play Insigne offside, but Davies has remained back and the ball falls through to the winger with only Vorm to beat. He does exactly that with delightful poise, lifting the ball over the keeper and into the back of the net.

Ashley Williams was livid with Tiendalli after that, and it was pretty poor defending from the full-back. He raced up too early and then stood still with his hand in the air instead of chasing back.

SAVE! Swansea look for a quick response and De Guzman is the man who goes for goal, drilling a low effort from just outside the area. It is a decent strike, but Reina makes a fairly routine stop.

CHANCE! Another great chance for the hosts and again it falls to Higuain. The Swansea defence is all over the place and Napoli are left with a two-on-one situation. Pandev pokes the ball to Higuain, who bends a low effort just past the post. He won't keep missing those, so Swansea need to tighten things up at the back quickly.

That Napoli goal shouldn't actually have too much of an impact on Swansea's game plan. Due to the away goals rule, they would still go through if they can score and keep Napoli out, so a solitary goal is still enough for them to make it into the last 16.

Swansea have responded quite well to going behind. They put Napoli under sustained pressure here before Bony goes for the spectacular acrobatic effort from a falling ball, but he doesn't catch it at all and it bounces through to Reina.

De Guzman plays a high ball upfield and Hernandez gets his head on it. He tries looping it over Reina, but he was so far out that there wasn't much he could really do with that. Reina gathers the effort comfortably.

Insigne finds some shooting space just outside the Napoli box, but this time his finish isn't quite as impressive as he drags it harmlessly wide.

Hernandez plays a good ball behind the defence for Bony to run on to, but the linesman has his flag up for offside. The replay shows that it was a harsh decision, but Bony nodded his effort wide anyway so it wouldn't have mattered.

GOAL! Napoli 1-1 Swansea (Jonathan de Guzman)

How big could that goal be for Swansea?! De Guzman gets a valuable away goal for his side, exploiting a big gap in the middle of the Napoli defence before sweeping a left-footed effort past Reina, who got a touch but couldn't keep it out.

So, as things stand, Swansea are progressing into the last 16 of the Europa League. What a huge result this would be for them, but they will need to keep things a little tighter at the back if they are to hold out for the draw. Napoli have had a few chances that they could have finished already tonight.

SAVE! Another half-chance for the visitors as Bony flicks the ball on to Hernandez, who is causing the Napoli defence problems tonight. He goes for goal from just outside the box, but his effort is tame and Reina gets down comfortably to make the save low to his right.

Swansea are seeing a lot of the ball at the moment, which will please Garry Monk no end. The onus is now on Napoli to make a breakthrough, but they can't do that without the ball. Swansea controlling the tempo of the game is also helping to silence the crowd, which will make things a little easier for the visitors.

Great goalkeeping from Reina as Bony slips the ball through to Routledge, who looks like he is through on goal, leaving the defence for dead with his pace. However, Reina is alert and comes out of his goal to beat Routledge to the ball with a fine sliding challenge.

Behrami works space for himself to shoot from range, but he is just off balance when he hits it and the ball subsequently flies a long way over the bar. Vorm will welcome them all day long.

UPDATE: Frankfurt have taken a 1-0 lead against Porto in their match, which could have an impact on Napoli ans Swansea as the winners of this tie will face either the Germans or the Portuguese. That was 2-2 in the first leg, so Porto now need two goals to go through.

CHANCE! Good play from Bony as he cuts inside from the left flank before unleashing a decent effort towards goal from inside the area. Reina makes a good stop to deny the striker, though.

SHOT! Bony is causing Napoli plenty of problems this evening. This time he latches on to a through ball before going for goal first time from 25 yards. His strike is not a long way away, but Reina seemed to have it covered as it whistled past the post.

Napoli go for yet another long-range effort, this time Inler going for goal from a good 35 yards out. This is the most optimistic one of the lot, and it flies a long way over the crossbar.

HALF TIME: Napoli 1-1 Swansea

So far so good for Swansea and Garry Monk. The visitors have come from behind to equalise against Napoli and, as things stand, will be claiming a historic European victory to reach the last 16. Monk will be warning his side that they still have 45 minutes to play against a dangerous Napoli side, but he will be delighted with how they have played so far.

The hosts took the lead in the 17th minute when Insigne was left unmarked to race through on goal and lift the ball over Vorm. It was a superb finish from the Napoli man, but Monk will be unhappy with the defending that led to the chance. Tiendalli left his man alone and failed to chase back, instead appealing in vain for an offside that was never going to be given.

Swansea's equaliser came right on the half-hour mark as De Guzman raced through on goal in between a big gap in the hosts' defence before sweeping the ball past Reina, who got a touch but failed to keep it out. Bony has caused all sorts of problems, and it was his position that drew the defenders out and created space for De Guzman.

Both teams have had chances other than their goals too, with Swansea coming closest through Marvin Emnes. Hernandez slipped the ball through to the winger having seen his initial pass towards Routledge cut out, and Emnes dinked it over Reina, only for ALbiol to get back and clear it off the line. There wasn't much more Emnes could have done, it was simply good tracking back from the Spanish centre-back.

Higuain has also squandered a few clear sights of goal that he would have usually expected to finish. Twice he has been left in space and gone for a trademark curling effort into the far corner, but both times he has missed the target when he should have done better. Swansea can't afford to give him too many more chances, however, as he won't keep on missing.

Both teams will still be fairly confident of progressing in this match. Napoli have carved out enough chances to think they they can win the match, while the same applies for Swansea to make them think that they can at least get the score draw required to progress. It will be interesting to see how Monk approaches the second half. He is unlikely to be gung-ho as Napoli can be very dangerous on the counter, but it is not in Swansea's make up to park the bus.

KICKOFF: Swansea get us back underway in Naples ahead of a huge 45 minutes. Can they hold out for a famous result against the mighty Napoli, or will the Italian giants find a way to progress past what has proved to be a tricky tie.

YELLOW CARD! The half is barely a minute old and we have our first yellow card as Canas goes into the book for a mistimed challenge on Callejon. No complaints with that one.

Napoli attempt to imitate Swansea by playing the ball out from the back, but the visitors press them high up the field and force the mistake, winning the ball back through a throw. Good work from Swansea.

SAVE! De Guzman wins the ball in midfield and drives right up the centre of the pitch until he is in shooting range. He lines up his effort before drilling a low strike towards goal, but it is straight at Reina, who makes a comfortable save.

We saw plenty of ambitious long-range efforts from the hosts in the first half, and the second half begins in a similar way. Ghoulam has a free kick from 35 yards out and chooses to go for goal, blasting a effort a long, long way over the crossbar. What a waste.

UPDATE: It appears that whoever wins this match will be facing Frankfurt in the next round. They have just doubled their lead against Porto, who now need two goals just to force extra time and three to go through.

De Guzman plays a corner into a dangerous area that is just about dealt with by the Napoli defence. The ball bounces back out to De Guzman, who produces a clever swerving shot from a tight angle that Reina saves at the near post.

YELLOW CARD! Chico Flores goes into the book, but he won't be too upset about it. He handled the ball as Higuain look to flick it past him on the halfway line, stopping a promising Napoli counter in the process.

Swansea have made a good start to this second half and the home fans are beginning to get a little restless now. As things stand, the Swans are 35 minutes away from progressing into the last 16 of the Europa League.

Good battling play by Bony as he holds off a number of challenges with great strength. He thinks that he is fouled before proceeding to commit a foul of his own, which he is penalised for by the ref. He isn't happy about the decision, but he has been a real handful this evening.

PENALTY SHOUT! Big penalty shout for Swansea as Tiendalli gets to the ball before his man and then goes down under the challenge of Ghoulam. It looks like a solid shout at first, but the replays show that Tiendalli went to ground far too easily. Good decision from the referee.

NAPOLI SUB: Benitez makes his first change of the match on the hour mark - nothing has changed! He brings on the dangerous Marek Hamsik in place of Pandev, who hasn't made much of a mark on this match tonight.

UPDATE: Is the comeback on in Germany? Porto have pulled a goal back and now trail Frankfurt 2-1. The first leg finished 2-2, so another goal for the Portuguese side would force extra time.

SWANSEA SUB: Napoli will not be happy about seeing this sub. Nathan Dyer is the man coming on, and he terrorised the Italian defence in the first leg last week. Off goes Wayne Routledge, who has caused problems with his pace tonight.

CHANCE! Hernandez does brilliantly to skip away from two Napoli defenders before carrying the ball to the edge of the box. Swansea have three attackers against two Napoli defenders, but Hernandez chooses to go for goal himself and his effort is blocked. That was a poor decision from the playmaker, who had Nathan Dyer in acres of space in support.

CHANCE! Superb from Insigne as he dances into the box before turning Tiendalli inside out to create space to shoot. He is faced with a tight angle, but his shot doesn't even reach the goal as Flores flies across with an important block.

CHANCE! Oh what a huge moment in the match that could have been! Napoli simply can't deal with the pace of Swansea's counter attack as they break free of the defence. Hernandez this time looks for a teammate in a good position and chips the ball over for Bony, who flicks his header straight at Reina. That was a glorious chance for a second - and perhaps winning - away goal.

NAPOLI SUB: Interesting change from Benitez here as Insigne, who has looked like Napoli's most dangerous player tonight, goes off to be replaced by Mertens. It is a like-for-like replacement, but he may have been better off sticking with Insigne for a while longer.

SWANSEA SUB: The visitors make a change of their own, and this time it is a defensive one as Emnes wanders off the field to be replaced by Neil Taylor.

UPDATE: Porto have done it! They have come from 2-0 down to level things up against Frankfurt which means, as things stand, that one will be going to extra time to determine who faces either Napoli or Swansea.

Time is beginning to run out for Napoli here. They haven't created much of note in the second half so far and that will have to change in the final 15 minutes or so if they are to progress in this competition. As things stand, they will be making a shock exit at the last 32 round for a second season in a row.

What a result this would be for Garry Monk too. This is just his sixth game in charge of Swansea but at the moment he is getting the better of one of the masters of European football in Rafael Benitez. He is still very much a rookie in managerial terms, and he would not have envisioned such an impressive result so early on in his reign.

GOAL! Napoli 2-1 Swansea (Gonzalo Higuain)

Oh it is heartbreak for Swansea as Higuain gobbles up a chance which fell to him very fortuitously. It was a good move from Napoli in the build up as the ball was slipped down the right channel for Mertens, but his low cross was intercepted by Chico Flores. The ball rebound back off Davies, however, and into the path of Higuain, who lashed home from inside the area, giving Vorm no chance.

Swansea now need a goal, and they have shown enough over the two ties to suggest that they might be able to get one. However, Napoli are very much in the driving seat and I expect them to just defend their lead now for the remaining 10 minutes.

SWANSEA SUB: The visitors have to go for broke now, and that is the inspiration behind this change as Alejandro Pozuelo replaces De Guzman, who of course scored Swansea's goal.

UPDATE: It is turning into a real battle in Germany, as Frankfurt have now regained the lead over Porto. That match can no longer go to extra time, and Porto need another goal if they are to go through.

NAPOLI SUB: Defensive change from the hosts as Jose Callejon slowly trudges off the field to be replaced by Britos. That speaks volumes about Benitez's intentions in these closing stages, and you can't blame him for going defensive.

YELLOW CARD! Inler goes into the book for a clumsy challenge on Chico Flores, who had just knocked the ball past the Napoli man. Correct decision from the referee.

Good goalkeeping from Reina as he comes to punch a lofted cross with Bony also challenging in the air. A deep ball caused problems in the area and Dyer took advantage of a defensive slip to get on the end of the delivery. He opts against shooting from a tight angle, inside hoisting the ball into the area for Bony to attack, but Reina did well.

WHAT A SAVE! Incredible stop from Reina to deny Swansea a famous late equaliser. Tiendalli connected with a header perfectly and it looked destined to nestle int the back of the net, but Reina made a remarkable reaction stop to tip it over.

UPDATE: Porto have come from behind again in what is turning into a thriller in Germany. It is now 3-3, which means that as things stand Porto will be facing Napoli in the last 16.

GREAT BLOCK! Superb defending from Ben Davies to keep his side hanging on in this match! It was a quick break from Napoli who exploited the space left by Swansea committing men forward. Higuain has an almost open goal to aim for from the edge of the six yard box, but Davies charges at the Argentine and blocks his powerful shot. Moments later Vorm makes another important challenge to deny the striker.

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of what has been a remarkable match in Naples.

SAVE! Bony goes for another acrobatic effort from inside the box, but again he doesn't catch it right and it bounces up for Reina to make a comfortable save in the top corner. Swansea have one minute to find a goal that would send them through.

GOAL! Napoli 3-1 Swansea (Gokhan Inler)

That is game, set and match. It was always going to be a threat with Swansea committing so many men forward, and sure enough Napoli break free and use a two-on-one situation perfectly. Inler is the man who finishes thing, sliding the ball under Vorm from just inside the box.

FULL TIME: Napoli 3-1 Swansea City

What a fine end to the match that was for the neutral. It is devastating for Swansea, who had the chances to win this game and progress into the next round but just couldn't take them. Still, they can be incredibly proud of their performances over the 180 minutes as they more than held their own against Napoli. It was a superb tie over the two legs, but in the end it is the Italian giants who prevail with a 3-1 win on aggregate.

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what was a fine Europa League tie between two very entertaining teams. It is Napoli who have booked their place in the last 16, but Swansea more than played their part. Stick around for more live Europa League action coming right up, including Tottenham's return tie against Dnipro at White Hart Lane.

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Swansea's new head coach Garry Monk greets fans ahead of the match against Cardiff during their Premier League match on February 8, 2014
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