Pro Eleven Headline News
Everton Knock 10-Man Liverpool Out Of FA Cup
A dramatic late goal from Dan Gosling ensured that Everton knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup at Goodison Park after extra-time on Wednesday evening.
The first half was a near non-event in terms of goalmouth action as neither goalkeeper was forced into shot-stopping action. They key moment of the half came when Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard had to be substituted with a hamstring injury after only 15 minutes.
Things improved in the second period, Leon Osman wasting the best chance of the 90 minutes as he struck a post, before Lucas was sent off for Liverpool after picking up a second booking as the game drifted into extra-time.
The extra-time period was tense and the game was looking like it was set for a penalty shoot-out. But, in the 119th minute, substitute Gosling found space in the box and shot home to give his side a famous win.
Team News
Everton were unchanged from the weekend, where they lost 1-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford. Victor Anichebe, the club’s only fit eligible striker with new signing Jo cup-tied, did not even make the substitutes’ bench.
Liverpool made two changes from the side that defeated Chelsea 2-0 at the weekend. Andrea Dossena came in for Fabio Aurelio at left-back and Lucas partnered Xabi Alonso in central midfield, taking the place of Argentina captain Javier Mascherano.
First Half
Liverpool had the first meaningful effort of the half in the 7th minute, when Alonso’s effort from 25 yards was powerfully struck wide.
But disaster struck for the Reds after only 15 minutes when their captain, Steven Gerrard, had to limp off the field with what looked like a hamstring injury. Israeli Yossi Benayoun came on to replace him as Everton fans let out a huge roar when the England midfielder left the pitch, highlighting the possible importance of that moment.
From then on the half was very much a scrappy affair, Tim Cahill and Steven Pienaar picking up bookings for the Toffees as referee Alan Wiley became busiest man on the field.
The home side’s best chance of the half came when Leon Osman volleyed narrowly over the crossbar after Cahill won an important header mid-way through the half.
Ultimately, though, Jose Reina and Tim Howard, the two goalkeepers, had nothing to do for the opening 45 minutes as the sides went into the break with the score goalless.
Second Half
The second half started in a similarly scrappy and competitive vein, Phil Neville being booked for a late tackle on Alonso before Lucas was carded for a foul on Mikel Arteta.
Marouane Fellaini looked like he had picked up an injury ten minutes into the half, the Belgian having to be substituted as Dan Gosling came on in his place. Steven Pienaar was the latest to succumb to Everton’s gruelling recent schedule. Youngster Jack Rodwell came on in place of the winger.
Howard was put to work for the first time in the 62nd minute. Alonso sent through Albert Riera as the Reds broke in numbers and the American rushed out at pace to smother the ball before the Spanish winger had the opportunity to shoot.
Gosling shot tamely at Reina from 18 yards and Dirk Kuyt headed straight at Howard as the game began to open up slightly, but with 20 minutes remaining a clear opportunity was yet to be created.
In the 71st minute, Everton came so close to finding the breakthrough. On the counterattack, Arteta cut inside, finding Cahill in the box, and the Australian laid the ball off to the onrushing Leon Osman, who shot with power and saw his effort strike the near post before bouncing away from danger.
With fifteen minutes to go, the game took another turn in the home side’s favour when Lucas was sent off for the Reds. As Joleon Lescott charged forward from the back, the Brazilian midfielder mis-timed his challenge and took the defender out, meaning he picked up his second yellow card of the match and was subsequently dismissed.
Mascherano came on for Riera as Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez looked to plug the gap left by Lucas with ten minutes of normal time remaining.
And despite a spell of Everton pressure, they were able to hold out to force the game into extra-time.
Extra-Time
Five minutes into extra-time, Osman turned well in the Liverpool box and shot straight at Reina, before the Spaniard made an important double save moments later.
Osman was again involved in the action, turning well and shooting from distance – forcing Reina into a save. He didn’t hold on to the ball, though, and had to react swiftly to save Gosling’s follow-up effort.
From the resulting corner, Cahill headed Leighton Baines’ delivery inches wide of the far post as the Toffees dominated.
Fernando Torres, who had been nursing an injury for much of the night after an earlier challenge from Lescott, was replaced by Ryan Babel for Liverpool just prior to half-time in extra-time.
The second period of extra-time produced next to no clear-cut chances until Gosling struck a dramatic winner for Everton in the 119th minute. The midfielder collected Tony Hibbert’s cross, twisted and turned in an attempt to find space, before curling a shot into the far corner from 10 yards to give his side a famous win. Goal
Juventus Through To Semi-Final After Penalty Shootout
Juventus hosted surprise package Napoli at the Olimpico in Turin tonight in a Coppa Italia quarter-final that was decided in a single match, with the winner going on to face Lazio, who were victorious over Milan, in the semi-finals.
Juventus came into the match on the back of two losses in the row in Serie A which has seen the Bianconeri lose ground to leaders Inter Milan. Napoli have also experiencing a difficult moment in terms of results, with a draw and two losses in their last three games, denting their confidence.
First Half
The Partenopei took the kick off and got the game underway, going quickly onto the attack, with Lavezzi getting hurt, but he was soon able to continue. Juve had a few players missing through injury. Both midfielder Cristiano Zanetti and defender Giorgio Chiellini recently suffered setbacks, and were not be available against the Azzurri. Claudio Marchisio missed out with a slight muscle problem, while top keeper Gianluigi Buffon was not called up after a bout of flu had him sidelined. Juve had some good news however, as David Trezeguet, Tiago and Mauro Camoranesi are all called up, following some time out recovering.
The play moved at a slow pace in the early exchanges, with Juventus controlling the game, and edging slowly towards the Napoli goal. In the 10th minute Del Piero floated a corner into the box and Legrottaglie connected with a header, but his effort went wide of the post. Very few clear cut chances characterised the game early on, but in the 17th minute a good passing move by the Bianconeri ended with a shot from Del Piero after the captain made some space, but his shot was easily parried by Navarro. A minute later Juve had a penalty call for a hand ball denied.
On 22 minutes Napoli poured forward well, making use of the extra man advantage as De Ceglie was off injured, and Hamsik met a fine cross with a good header, but Manninger was equal to the task. Two minutes later a Juve counter attack produced a free kick on the edge of the box, but Del Piero’s effort was blocked out wide. Marchioni wasted a good chance shortly afterwards, scuffing a shot in the box straight into the arms of Navarro.
The chances continued to be few, and a good opportunity for Napoli passed by in the 34th minute as a fine cross was dropped into the box, but the Juve defence did well to clear the danger, before a bicycle kick attempt from Pazienza sent the ball out for a goal kick. Three minutes later Del Piero was off on the wing in a well-timed counter attack, but Gargano did exceptionally well to stop the marauding captain in his tracks. A minute into injury time Juve had an opportunity as Iaquinta crossed for Del Piero, but the Napoli back line cleared. The whistle for half time was blown shortly afterwards with the score still set at a goalless draw.
Second Half
Juventus kicked off the second half, hoping to get the all important goal that would allow them to progress to the semi-finals. The pace of the game remained unchanged in the early part of the second half, but Napoli seemed more determined and in the 48th minute Lavezzi went on a stunning solo run, dribbling past players before unleashing a shot at goal which was well blocked by Legrottaglie, but only a few minutes later the Argentinian striker was at it again, this time requiring a low save from Manninger.
On 53 minutes avezzi was causing more headaches, as he was almost picked out in the box after a good run, but the cross passed just overhead and Juve could breath again. The home side became desperate, and coach Claudio Ranieri decided to add striker David Trezeguet to the mix, taking Iaquinta off as a result. In the 61st minute a scramble in the box allowed Giovinco to slip the ball across to Del Piero in the box, but the captain slipped and the chance went begging. In the 68th minute a dangerous cross from the right gave Juventus some hope, but none of the home players got onto the end of it, and Cannavaro was forced to make a risky clearance, which worked out for him.
As time went by the play became more desperate, and it seemed that things were heading to extra time. In the 76th minute a chance fell to Trezeguet, but the Frenchman’s shot was deflected out for a corner. The home crowd grew frustrated, and with ten minutes remaining the players were looking tired and a few yellow cards were dished out for reckless and thoughtless challenges. In the 81st minute a break away from Napoli was looking deadly for Juventus, but a great tackle from Mellberg saved the Bianconeri in dramatic fashion.
A minute later more Napoli pressure saw Zalayeta have a run at goal, but under pressure from the Juve defence the Uruguayan hit his shot into the side netting. The Napoli spurt of late pressure continued, and the home side were lucky to come away unscathed once again as a low cross blew right through a crowd of players in front of the goal line without a single tough on the ball. Juventus were praying for the whistle to signal a stop in play in the hopes that it would break Napoli’s rhythm and allow them to regain composure. A last minute heart attack for Napoli saw Trezeguet put the ball into the back of the net after a good bout of passing, but the goal was annulled for offside, and the game was sent into extra time.
Extra Time
Extra time began at a quick pace, and Trezeguet almost replicated his earlier feat, but Navarro saved his shot. Not even a minute later the Frenchman had a sitter a metre out from the goal, but a mixture of defensive desperation and good goalkeeping kept the ball from crossing the line. A quick counter from Napoli resulted in a shot from Lavezzi, but Manninger saved with relative ease. A few minutes later Del Piero was unlucky to be stopped for a foul, as he was about to shoot at goal, leaving the home fans severely frustrated.
After both sides had used all of their substitutions, the reality of the penalties that were looming became clear, and the second half of extra time got underway. On 108 minutes Juve had a scare as a Napoli corner was nearly turned into the goal, but Manninger made a good save to keep the home side in the game. A minute later Juventus came ever so close to getting the winner, but a strike from Nedved and then a rebound from Del Piero were well blocked by keeper and Cannavaro.
Del Piero had a stunning long range effort go just over the bar with two minutes remaining. The game ended 0-0 after 120 minutes and penalties were the only way to decide a winner. Del Piero scored his penalty, and Hamsik equalised with his spot kick. Trezeguet put his kick into the back of the net, and Bogliacino did the same. Nedved stepped up, but Navarro saved his penalty, and Denis slotted his in, putting Napoli ahead. Marchioni scored his, but Navarro got findertips to it. Lavezzi put the ball on the spot, and Manninger saved in dramatic style to level matters. Sissoko came up for his kick and hit it off the crossbar and out. Contini had a chance to win it for Napoli, but he followed suit and blasted it over the bar. Into sudden death they went, and Legrotagglie did well to score his kick, leaving the pressure on Gargano who blasted over the bar and lost it for the Azzurri.
The win sends Juventus through to a semi-final meeting with Lazio. Juve have not won the Italian Cup since the 1994-95 campaign, but they are now closing in on a good opportunity to change that, if they beat the Biancocelesti in the next round.
JUVENTUS 0-0 NAPOLI
Penalties: 4-3
JUVENTUS: Manninger, Grygera, Mellberg, De Ceglie (Molinaro 23’), Legrottaglie, Marchioni, Poulsen, Sissoko, Del Piero, Iaquinta (Trezeguet 59’), Giovinco (Nedved 68’).
NAPOLI: Navarro, Santacroce, Cannavaro, Pazienza, Contini, Hamsik, Gargano, Montervino (Bogliacino 75’), Aronica (Vitale 91’), Lavezzi, Zalayeta (Denis 100’). Goal
David Beckham Announces Wish To Remain At Milan After Rangers Draw
David Beckham's loan spell at Milan has been a success thus far, and many Rossoneri fans are hoping the English player will remain with the club for a longer period than expected.
'Golden Balls' played the first half of the exciting friendly match against Rangers that ended in a 2-2 draw, and he commented on his future afterwards.
"I know I have a contract that binds me to the Los Angeles Galaxy, but I wish to remain at Milan after the end of my current agreement. I express my desire to remain here because I am doing very well with the team and the coach. I feel a lot of love from the fans," stated the 33-year-old, according Milan's official website.
"I only played the first half because we have a lot of commitments in the coming days and also I came down with a little bit of the flu."
The former Real Madrid player is expected to return to Los Angeles on March 9 for the beginning of the MLS season, but it appears he is hoping to remain in Milan and build on his initial positive start.
It remains to be seen whether Milan and the LA Galaxy can reach an agreement. Earlier reports stated that Beckham had instructed his lawyers to find a way so that he can remain in Carlo Ancelotti's squad for an extended period of time. Goal
