SOCCER/Steau Bucharest - 1 Middlesbro - 0: It may have lacked the drama, goals and glory of the comeback against FC Basel in the second leg of the previous round, but Middlesbrough departed an atmospheric night in Bucharest with the sort of defeat that can feel satisfying.
The watching Sven-Goran Eriksson will have been impressed by much of what he saw and if victory can be achieved at the Riverside next Thursday, this dogged performance will look even better.
Boro had lost the previous two away ties in Europe and progressed. The other good news for Boro is that while they will be stronger next Thursday, Steaua Bucharest will be weaker.
Nicolae Dica's 30th minute strike separates the teams but the four yellow cards collected by Steaua included one each for Banel Nicolita and Sorin Paraschiv. Those two players will be missing on Teesside and given that Steaua are by their own admission not bulging with quality, that should tell.
So, too, should the likely return of Gareth Southgate, Chris Riggott and Mark Viduka.
Boro rode their luck towards the end and manager Steve McClaren, once again last night the subject of sustained rumours regarding England, accepted that "fatigue" is catching up on his players.
In the absence of the two regular centre halves, McClaren selected Ugo Ehiogu and, surprisingly to many, 19-year-old Matthew Bates. It was the biggest night of the teenager's career and he can review it with pride.
As with the rest of the team, Bates and Ehiogu were better in the first half, despite conceding, and were grateful to Mark Schwarzer for a 53rd minute tip away from a close-range header by Dorin Goian. Eight minutes after that Schwarzer made another block, this time from the dangerous Dica following an error by Stuart Parnaby.
But there was no sense of inevitability about a home breakthrough, indeed Stewart Downing was prominent on the left and Aiyegbeni Yakubu was close with a 20-yard shot on a Boro breakaway.
But the half-hour brought Steaua a lead and disappointingly for the Teessiders it originated from a throw-in, which gave Boro time to regroup and mark. Ogararu took it and found his captain Mirel Radoi in space five metres outside the area. From Radoi the ball fell to Dica, who had George Boateng for company but was able to swivel and shoot into the top-right corner.
Playing some good possession football, mainly through Fabio Rochemback, Boro stabilised. At times they were also able to counter attack and twice just before half-time they might have equalized.
In the 41st minute Yakubu squeezed himself between two blue shirts to make contact with a Boateng cross. Yakubu appeared not to know too much about what happened next but the ball hit the turf and then bounced onto the Steaua crossbar.
A minute later from a Downing corner, Queudrue won a header that resulted in a seven-yard snapshot from James Morrison. Carlos Fernandes, Steaua's Portuguese goalkeeper, parried the ball away. That was to be Boro's attacking highlight.
They will anticipate a few more next Thursday. But before then it is West Ham in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday.
Guardian Service
STEAUA BUCHAREST: Carlos, Ogararu, Ghionea, Goian, Marin, Radoi, Bostina, Paraschiv (Lovin 86), Dica, Nicolita, Oprita (Cristea 89). Subs not used: Cernea, Balan, Cristocea, Nesu, Baciu. Booked: Dica, Paraschiv, Goian, Nicolita, Marin. Goal: Dica 30.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Parnaby, Ehiogu, Bates, Queudrue, Boateng, Rochemback, Downing, Morrison (Parlour 70), Yakubu (Maccarone 70), Hasselbaink. Subs not used: Jones, Christie, Doriva, Wheater, Taylor. Booked: Schwarzer, Parlour.
Referee: A Hamer (Luxembourg)
