UEFA Cup first round, first leg: Middlesbrough needed an own goal from defender Jacques Paviot to kill off a second-half fightback by Greek side Xanthi last night.
The Teessiders were hanging on to the lead given to them by George Boateng's 28th-minute strike when the Frenchman Paviot deflected Mark Viduka's drive past goalkeeper Petr Pizanowski late in the game to ease their fears.
Boro dominated before the break, but Levan Maghradze, Stavros Labriakos and former Boro midfielder Emerson all went close before Paviot's late intervention.
Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren gambled on the depth of his squad when he rested key players. Already without ineligible midfielder Fabio Rochemback, McClaren left captain Gareth Southgate, Franck Queudrue and £7.5 million signing Aiyegbeni Yakubu on the bench with one eye on Sunday's trip to Wigan.
Austrian international Emanuel Pogatetz was handed a first start for his new club at the back alongside youngster Matthew Bates, while Brazilian Doriva was drafted into central midfield and Mark Viduka returned in attack alongside record signing Massimo Maccarone.
In front of a sparse crowd at the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough took the lead when Papadimitriou slipped to allow Maccarone to surge in on goal and, although his effort was blocked by Pizanowski, George Boateng followed up to control and slot into the empty net.
Yakubu might have eased his side's worries on 78 minutes when he got his head to Pogatetz's cross, but he could only glance his effort wide - although he did a bit better three minutes later.
Boro finally edged further ahead seven minutes from time when Viduka's snapshot was deflected past Pizanowski by the unfortunate Paviot.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Xavier, Ehiogu, Bates, Pogatetz, Parlour, Doriva, Boateng, Johnson, Maccarone, Viduka. Subs: Jones, Queudrue, Southgate, Yakubu, Morrison, Graham, Kennedy.
FC XANTHI: Pizanowski, Torossidis, Sikov, Jacques Paviot, Papadimitriou, Maghradze, Antzas, Emerson, Andrade, Luciano, Labriakos. Subs: Anastasopoulos, Zapropoulos, Carabas, Quintana, Lafata, Kazakis, Leonardo.
Referee: S Messner (Austria).
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