Uefa Cup final: So near, yet so far
STEVE MCCLAREN’S intended last hurrah in Eindhoven turned sour, as Middlesbrough’s tremendous European run finally came to an emphatic end. Having staged miraculous four goal recoveries against Basle and Bucharest, the Premiership side found no way back against a well-organised Seville 11, once the Spaniards had taken the lead through Fabiano midway through the first half. With luck, things may have turned out differently, but first Mark Viduka fired straight at the keeper with the goal at his mercy, and then the Australian had a clear-cut penalty appeal turned down by German referee Herbert Fandel.
The two incidents seemed to knock the stuffing out of Boro’s second-half onslaught, as Seville took full advantage of their counter-attacking opportunities. Maresca found the back of the net twice, within six minutes, to put his team three clear, before former West Ham and Spurs striker Freddie Kanoute, made it 4-0 shortly before the final whistle. This was McClaren’s 250th and final game in charge, leaving the Riverside after five years with only the League Cup to show for his efforts.
FA Cup final: Glory days, burst bubbles
THE LAST showpiece at Cardiff, before the competition returns to the remodelled Wembley arena, was certainly memorable. Liverpool looked dead and buried, after first Jamie Carragher put the ball through his own net, and then Dean Ashton squeezed the ball home to put the Hammers up 2-0. But the London fans ignored Steven Gerrard at their peril.
The Liverpool Captain set up Crouch, but the strike was ruled off-side. Next, the England man flighted a perfect 40-yard pass to Djibril Cisse, who smashed in an unstoppable volley to reduce the deficit to one. Ten minutes after the restart, Gerrard blasted in the equaliser, but West Ham were not finished yet. A Paul Konchesky cross eluded the entire Liverpool defence and crept into the goal. West Ham led once more, the trophy within touching distance as the seconds ticked away. The scoreboard showed four minutes of time added on, when that man Gerrard struck again. From 30 yards out, the diminutive midfielder launched a rocket, which tore past Shaka Hislop in the Hammer’s goal to take the game into extra time. Thirty minutes later penalties beckoned. Hamman struck first, Reina saved from Zamora, Hyypia failed, the 40-year-old Teddy Sheringham levelled. Gerrard scored again, Konchesky and Anton Ferdinand were both kept out, as Riise put the game beyond doubt. Over and out for West Ham, the 26 year wait continues, but Liverpool painted the town red with their record seventh success in this competition.
Scotland: Wedding bells
GRETNA GREEN, famed in the past for its instant marriages, experienced a dramatic end to what otherwise has been a fairytale season. Having gained promotion for the second successive year, Gretna also reached the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park, a feat that guarantees European football next season, win or lose. Champions League qualifiers Hearts, an up-and-coming power in the game north of the border themselves, struggled to contain the supposed minnows who could have wrapped up the tie in the second half. As it happened, both sides were level at 1-1 after 90 minutes and penalties followed the mandatory extra playing period. Hearts kept their heads and made all four shots at goal count while Gretna failed twice, the dream was over.
Portuguese endgame
CHAMPIONS PORTO travelled to the Jamor national stadium, and achieved the fifth double in their illustrious history, adding the Cup to their league title. Despite the meagre 1-0 score line, coach Co Adriaanse’s men were never seriously troubled by Vitoria Setubal, Adriano’s 40th minute header settling the issue in front of 35,000 spectators.
European silver
FOLLOWING THE 1-1 first leg draw, Inter Milan claimed their fifth Italian cup with a convincing 3-1 victory over AS Rome. In his last game as manager, Roberto Mancini saw his side build up a 3-0 lead through goals from Cambiasso, Julio Cruz and Martins before the visitors grabbed a late consolation effort. Juventus were crowned champions for the fourth time in five years, following a 2-0 away win over Reggina.
Olympiakos in Greece and Red Star Belgrade, both achieved national ‘doubles’ in adding their country’s cups to the already won championships.
