Published : Jan. 24, 2013 - 20:01
Swansea City’s Ki Sung-yueng vies with Chelsea’s Frank Lampard on Wednesday. (AFP-Yonhap News)
Chelsea star Eden Hazard was ejected from the English League Cup semifinal on Wednesday night for kicking a ball boy in the ribs while attempting to retrieve the ball after it rolled off the field.
With Chelsea needing two goals at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium to force overtime in the two-game series, the ball bounced off an advertising board behind the goal line in the 79th minute.
A 17-year-old ball boy in a Swansea sweatsuit slowly walked over to pick it up.
Hazard ran up to reclaim the ball and the teen fell over, stomach toward the ground and the ball under him. The Belgian winger leaned over the, tried to pull the ball free with both hands and then kicked at it under the youth.
After Hazard got the ball free, he picked it up and jogged back onto the field. The ball boy, who has worked for Swansea for six years, rolled onto his back and clutched the right side of his ribs as he was attended to.
Hazard was shown a straight red card by referee Chris Foy.
Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez said the ball boy and Hazard had apologized to each other.
“They both recognize there was a mistake,” Benitez said. “The boy was apologizing for time wasting. Hazard was frustrated and tried to get the ball. He was kicking the ball and getting the ball.”
On the club’s official Twitter feed, Chelsea said football had “gone mad.”
“Hazard is sent off for kicking the ball under a ball boy attempting to smother the ball rather than return it,” Chelsea’s tweet read.
The match finished 0-0 and Swansea advanced 2-0 on aggregate, setting up a final against fourth-tier Bradford at Wembley Stadium on Feb. 24. It will be the first major English final in the Swans’ 100-year history.
Swansea manager Michael Laudrup said Hazard would regret his actions.
“The ball boy should have let the ball go, but he was pushed first and then he kicks him,” Laudrup said. “As a player when you are behind, your pulse is very high and sometimes you say and do things. You overreact. But there are some things you cannot do.”
Hazard is in his first season with Chelsea after joining the English club from Lille for $51 million.
Also, Olivier Giroud had two goals as Arsenal scored four times during an 11-minute span early in the second half and routed West Ham 5-1 in the English Premier League on Wednesday night. (AP)
Spain
Real Madrid overcame the loss of goalkeeper Iker Casillas to injury and two ejections to tie Valencia 1-1 and advance to the Copa del Rey semifinals on 3-1 aggregate.
Casillas was kicked in the left hand by teammate Alvaro Arbeloa while clearing a loose ball in the penalty area in the 13th minute. After doctors examined him in the field, Casillas walked off in pain and spent the second half on Madrid’s bench with an ice pack on his hand.
“I’m OK, but there is something the doctor doesn’t like,” Casillas said, referring to his thumb. “I knew something was wrong when I was hit.”
He was replaced by Adan Garrido.
Karim Benzema put visiting Madrid ahead in the 44th minute, Tino Costa tied the score on a free kick following Fabio Coentrao’s ejection in the 51st for his second yellow card. Angel Di Maria was given a red card for tripping Joao Pereira in the 88th.
Madrid will meet Barcelona or Malaga in the next round. (AP)
Italy
Roma beat Inter Milan 2-1 in the first leg of the Italian Cup semifinals on goals by Alessandro Florenzi in the 13th minute and Mattia Destro in the 33rd.
A blunder by Roma’s Nicolas Burdisso in the 44th allowed Rodrigo Palacio to rush in completely unmarked and slot home Esteban Cambiasso’s free kick.
The second leg of the total-goals series is in April. (AP)
Africa
South Africa beat Angola 2-0 Wednesday night to take the Group A lead at the African Cup of Nations as Cape Verde held former champion Morocco to a 1-1 tie.
Siyabonga Sangweni scored in the 30th minute and Micheal Majoro in the 62nd to lead South Africa in Durban.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Cape Verde went ahead on a 35th-minute goal by Luis Soares, who wears “Platini” on the back of his jersey. Youssef El Arabi tied it for Morocco in the 78th. (AP)