Newcastle United survived an FA Cup scare at Blackburn Rovers as they blew a two-goal lead before hitting back to win 4-2 after extra-time in Tuesday’s third-round replay.
Rafael Benitez sent out an understrength lineup featuring eight changes from Newcastle’s 2-1 defeat at Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.
The stand-ins made a fast start when Sean Longstaff scored his first goal for Newcastle. The 21-year-old found the net inside the first minute with a deflected strike from outside the penalty area.
Callum Roberts, handed his first Newcastle appearance since January 2015, doubled their lead in the 22nd minute with his first goal for the club.
However, Blackburn pulled a goal back 12 minutes before halftime through former Newcastle forward Adam Armstrong.
Republic of Ireland international Darragh Lenihan later equalized for Blackburn with a header in first-half stoppage-time.
It took extra time to settle the tie, with Blackburn’s Bradley Dack missing a golden chance before Joselu pounced to slot home in the 105th minute after Rovers goalkeeper David Raya spilled Fabian Schar’s drive.
Blackburn complained in vain that Joselu was offside.
Ayoze Perez completed Newcastle’s escape act moments later when he cut in from the right and fired home.
In the night’s other third-round replays, Sheffield Wednesday booked a trip to holders Chelsea as the second-tier strugglers won 1-0 at League One side Luton Town.
Wednesday are without a permanent manager while they wait for Steve Bruce to take charge on Feb. 1.
However, the Championship outfit avoided an upset at Kenilworth Road against a Luton side who are chasing promotion after a 13-match unbeaten run.
Atdhe Nuhiu won it for Wednesday when the striker’s effort was deflected past James Shea in the 46th minute.
Luton came close to leveling with 13 minutes to go when James Collins diverted Sonny Bradley’s header on to a post.
Bradley’s header was then nodded off the line by Nuhiu in the closing moments.
Luton’s previous manager, Nathan Jones, left to take charge at Stoke City, but his first home game in charge of the Championship side was ruined by third-tier Shrewsbury Town’s remarkable 3-2 win.
Jones’ team appeared to be cruising after a first-half double from teenager Tyrese Campbell, the son of former Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin Campbell.
However, James Bolton netted 19 minutes left before Fejiri Okenabirhie equalized from the penalty spot in the 77th minute.
Josh Laurent capped the stunning fightback when he struck in the 81st minute to earn a fourth-round home tie against Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.
LIGUE 1
AP, PARIS
Yann Karamoh on Tuesday scored an injury-time winner after dribbling from the halfway line to give Girondins de Bordeaux a 2-1 Ligue 1 win at Angers SCO.
The 20-year-old forward, who is on loan from Italian side Inter, turned quickly toward goal after receiving a pass and sprinted down the left before cutting inside a defender and finishing confidently in the 92nd minute.
It was his third goal in 13 league games this season and helped move Bordeaux up to 11th place.
Nigerian forward Samuel Kalu put Bordeaux ahead in the 31st minute and Croatian midfielder Mateo Pavlovic equalized midway through the second half.
Moments earlier, Angers midfielder Jeff Reine-Adelaide had a penalty saved by goalkeeper Benoit Costil. It was awarded following a video review.
Referee Eric Wattellier initially waved away the penalty claims after defender Romain Thomas appeared to be clipped from behind.
However, Wattellier changed his mind and awarded it after studying video assistant referee images, even though they seemed inconclusive as to whether there was genuine contact with Thomas’ heel before he fell.
Angers, who had drawn their six previous league games, are in 15th place.
LA LIGA
Reuters
Valencia’s Santi Mina on Tuesday struck twice as the struggling La Liga club reached the Copa del Rey quarter-finals by beating second-tier Real Sporting de Gijon 3-0 for a 4-2 aggregate win.
Valencia trailed 2-1 from the away leg and, despite a late midweek kickoff time, supporters still flocked to the Mestalla hoping to see their embattled team turn the tie around.
Marcelino’s side took the lead when Mina nodded them in front after 65 minutes with the help of a deflection.
The Spanish forward struck again 10 minutes later, sliding to the ground to meet a low cross from close range before Ferran Torres wrapped up the victory in added time on the counter.
The result gave Valencia welcome relief from a disappointing league campaign, with a weekend 1-1 draw at home to Real Valladolid leaving them 11th in the standings.
They were joined in the last eight of the Copa del Rey by Getafe, who drew 1-1 at Valladolid to progress 2-1 on aggregate.
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Coco Gauff’s dreams of a first women’s singles title in Melbourne were crushed in the quarter-finals by Paula Badosa. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was ruffled by a stray feather in his men’s singles quarter-final, but he refocused to beat 12th seed Tommy Paul and reach the semi-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in 2 hours, 20 minutes to advance the semi-finals. Hsieh and Ostapenko converted eight of 14 break
The San Francisco Giants signed 18-year-old Taiwanese pitcher Yang Nien-hsi (陽念希) to a contract worth a total of US$500,000 (NT $16.39 million). At a press event in Taipei on Wednesday, Jan. 22, the Giants’ Pacific Rim Area scout Evan Hsueh (薛奕煌) presented Yang with a Giants jersey to celebrate the signing. The deal consisted of a contract worth US$450,000 plus a US$50,000 scholarship bonus. Yang, who stands at 188 centimeters tall and weighs 85 kilograms, is of Indigenous Amis descent. With his fastest pitch clocking in at 150 kilometers per hour, Yang had been on Hsueh’s radar since playing in the HuaNan Cup
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
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