SWANSEA CITY’S BID to qualify for the UEFA Europa League knockout stages will go down to the wire after they lost 1-0 to Valencia.
Michael Laudrup’s side would have made the last 32 with a point after Kuban Krasnodar’s 4-0 victory over St Gallen, but they must now wait until the final game in Group A to seal their progress.
Dani Parejo’s strike wrapped up top spot for the visitors, who gained a measure of revenge for the 3-0 defeat they suffered in the reverse fixture.
The midfielder’s first goal of the season earned Valencia their fourth consecutive win in the competition, with Swansea goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel’s poor clearance handing the Spaniards the game’s only goal at the Liberty Stadium.
Wilfried Bony almost put Swansea ahead when he headed just wide after Diego Alves had parried a corner to the Ivorian in a lively opening to the game.
Valencia, however, took advantage of Tremmel’s clearance at the other end, as Juan Bernat’s effort deflected into the path of Parejo who cleverly angled a finish home.
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Jonas was next to threaten for the visitors, letting fly with a long-range effort, only for it to whistle over the crossbar, and Swansea were handed a further blow when Bony limped off with a hamstring injury.
The home side were further frustrated before the break, when Dyer looked to have levelled only for the linesman’s flag to deny him, despite both he and Jonjo Shelvey, who headed the initial cross on target, appearing to be onside.
Sofiane Feghouli came close to doubling Valencia’s lead four minutes after the break, shooting wide from a precise Sergio Canales throughball.
Substitute Alvaro Vazquez looked to have equalised two minutes from time, only for Jeremy Mathieu to clear off the line as Valencia held on for the victory.
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Wigan Athletic’s UEFA Europa League hopes hang by a thread after a last-gasp 2-1 defeat to Zulte Waregem.
Leon Barnett put the hosts ahead early on, brilliantly volleying home from the edge of the penalty area after a Jordi Gomez miscue.
An open first half ended even, though, young Wigan goalkeeper Lee Nicholls spilling an effort from Thorgan Hazard over his own goal line.
Wigan looked like the only team likely to score in the second period, but Junior Malanda slammed home an 88th-minute winner to move the Belgians second in Group D with one game to play.
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The Championship side must win at Maribor in their final game, while hoping Waregem lose at runaway group winners Rubin Kazan, although the Slovenian champions remain in the hunt themselves.
The hosts were ahead after just seven minutes as Callum McManaman and Gomez worked a short corner routine, only for the Spaniard to mis-hit his effort. However, the ball fell perfectly for Barnett, who slammed home his fourth goal of the season.
Within 10 minutes of the opener, McManaman almost doubled the lead and Waregem midfielder Sven Kums scuffed wide after electric build-up play from Frederic Duplus on the left.
James McClean ended a strong run with a shot from the left channel that visiting keeper Sammy Bossut saved well, although the Irishman had better options centrally. And Bossut’s sharpness was rewarded in part through an error by his opposite number as the visitors pounced on an error from James McArthur to drive up the field. The ball eventually found Hazard, whose firm effort was straight at Nicholls, but the 21-year-old was caught in two minds and could only drop the ball over the line.
Powell stung Bossut’s palms with a well-struck shot on the hour, while Nicholls reacted well to palm Hazard’s deflected free-kick behind eight minutes later as the sides firmed up after the break.
McArthur drilled a 20-yard shot wide with 10 minutes on the clock as the hosts pushed for a winner that looked as though it would fail to materialise. But Malanda got on the end of fellow substitute Idrissa Sylla’s cutback and lashed an unstoppable effort past Nicholls to deflate the home crowd and put Waregem in the driving seat for a spot in the next phase.
