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| April 22, 2006 | Saturday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 23, 1427 |
Steaua edge past Boro to stay in contention
BUCHAREST, April 21: Two fine saves from Middlesbrough goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer kept his side in contention as Steaua Bucharest edged the first leg of their UEFA Cup semifinal tie 1-0 on Thursday.
Schwarzer stopped a fierce volley from Dorin Goian and a close-range Nicolae Dica effort early in the second half after Dica had given the home side a 30th-minute lead to the joy of the 47,000 crowd.
Dica turned smartly on the edge of the area and blasted home past Schwarzer for Steaua's first goal in four home matches.
The visitors, missing injured striker Mark Viduka and captain Gareth Southgate, created few chances, but will be happy to have kept the scoreline down ahead of the second leg at the Riverside stadium next Thursday.
Dica's opener prompted a sharp reaction from Middlesbrough.
Yakubu Aiyegbeni headed against the crossbar and a shot from James Morrison forced Steaua's Portuguese keeper Carlos Fernandes into action.
Steaua played better in the second half and put the visitors' goal under pressure but Dica and central defender Goian failed to find the target.
Twenty minutes from time, Schwarzer dropped the ball after he collided with Matthew Bates but Goian again failed to score with the goal in front of him.
A late shot from Middlesbrough substitute Massimo Maccarone gave Steaua a scare when Carlos caught the ball at the second attempt.
Meanwhile in Gelsenkirchen resilient defending secured first-time semifinalists Sevilla a 0-0 draw against Schalke 04 in a poor first leg match.
Schalke, the 1997 winners, put pressure on the Spanish visitors throughout even though they finished with 10 men after Serbian defender Mladen Krstajic was sent off for elbowing 10 minutes from time.
But the home team, struggling after a poor run in the Bundesliga with just three points in the last five matches, could not take advantage of their many chances. Sevilla goalkeeper Andres Palop also made several fine saves.
Cheered on by a sell-out crowd of 53,551, Schalke took control from the start. Palop turned Gerald Asamoah's eighth minute close range shot around the post and then an unmarked Gustavo Varela shot harmlessly over the bar.
Playmaker Lincoln and Germany striker Kevin Kuranyi, who were banished to the bench in the first half by coach Mirko Slomka, entered in the second half and came close repeatedly but could not force a breakthrough.—Reuters
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