LONDON — Swansea City booked its place in the semifinals of the League Cup after an own goal by Seb Hines secured the Premier League club a 1-0 victory over second-tier Middlesbrough Wednesday. The Middlesbrough defender headed a Swansea corner into his own net in the 81st minute after an evenly matched quarterfinal at the Liberty Stadium in Wales. Fourth-tier Bradford City upset Premier League Arsenal Tuesday to secure a semifinal spot alongside Aston Villa who beat Norwich City. Chelsea, which is playing in the World Club Cup in Japan, faces Leeds United in the final last-eight clash on Dec. 19. Juve in Cup quarters Juventus advanced to the Italian Cup quarterfinals by beating Cagliari 1-0 Wednesday, but the Serie A leader lost two players to injury. Sebastian Giovinco put Juve ahead in the 57th minute from the edge of the box after Cagliari had failed to clear at Juventus stadium. Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal limped off with an apparent right knee injury in the 16th, and forward Nicklas Bendtner was carried off on a stretcher in the 43rd. Juventus will face either AC Milan or Reggina. Last season, Juve lost the final to Napoli for its only loss in the 2011-12 campaign. Earlier, Catania beat Parma 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw and will next face either Lazio or Siena, who play next week. Thailand in Suzuki Cup final Thailand took advantage of a soft first half dismissal to record a 2-0 win over Malaysia Thursday and advance to the final of the Suzuki Cup 3-1 on aggregate. The Thais, three-time winners of the tournament, will play Singapore in the final of the biennial Southeast Asian Championships with the first leg to be played in Singapore Wednesday. “We are very happy to reach the final,” Thailand coach Winfried Schaefer, who watched from the stands after being sent off in the first leg, told reporters. “We played very well with determination. But we lost concentration in the final moments. We should have scored three or five goals,” he added. —Agencies
