Boro Stunned Steaua on Riverside

Middlesbrough managed a sensational qualification into the final of the UEFA Cup on Tuesday night, when Steve McClaren`s team came from 3 goals down to beat Steaua Bucharest. In front of the first full-house crowd in the team`s history, Boro beat Steaua 4-2 to qualify for Eindhoven final.

It was no more that the 24th minute when Steaua had a 2-0 advantage on Riverside. Incredible as it might have seemed, Dica and Goian gave Steaua a well-deserved lead, and it seemed that Boro have lost the chance to qualify for the first final in its long history. If Steaua had continued to play like that, it would have been more than likely that Boro would have lost their second semifinal in 4 days. But McClaren made a smart move, throwing Maccarone into the game. That`s where it all turned around for Boro.

First, Maccarone scored past Carlos, after Steaua`s huge error in defense. It was the 33rd minute and the Romanians were not yet worried about the final, still leading 3-1 on aggregate. Till the break, Boro attacked all the way, creating great scoring chances through Viduka, two of them being miraculously saved by Steaua`s goalkeeper, Carlos.

The second half had only one history. The Boro one. Steaua defending their lead, Middlesbrough attacking and hoping for a Basel finish. Viduka equalized for the home team in the 65th minute. Less than 10 minutes away (73), the crowd went nuts when Riggot gave Middlesbrough the lead. The home team pressure didn't come off well for Steaua, who would have lost their place in the final if they were to concede once again. And they did. After a short domination from Steaua, Boro put again pressure on the finish line. Just like the Basel fairytale, Maccarone booked a place in the UEFA final, scoring past Carlos with a wonderful header, after a perfect pass from Downing.

Steaua fans were speechless. Riverside was celebrating an incredible qualification. Steaua tried its best to recover in the end, but it was a little bit too late for the Romanians to get something good out of it. Referee Michel didn't see a clear penalty kick for Steaua in the 92nd minute, when Quedrue handled the ball sent by Dica. It was probably the only mistake the Slovakian referee has made during the match.

After the game, Steaua`s players could not find their words. General manager Mihai Stoica was speechless, but still found the power to say something: "I don't think I can recover from this very soon. What happened tonight is a real nightmare", concluded Steaua`s official.

The other semifinal ended with Sevilla beating Shalke of Germany with an extra time goal. Sevilla qualified for the final, after managing to keep a clean sheet in Germany. The final will take place in Eindhoven, on the 10th of May.

Steve McClaren
"I cannot believe it. It is incredible. It was down to character and attitude. I said that in the previous round against Basel - it was the same here. I said that lightning couldn't strike twice in the same place but it has done. Now let's go one step further and win the final".

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

"Massimo, I will love him until I die. It is unbelievable. We are in the final and we have to go for it in the final. We had to do it the hard way."

George Ogararu

"We blew of a great chance. Something like this only happens once in a lifetime. They played very well and we got lost somewhere along the way."

Florin Lovin

"We still don`t realize what happened. Maybe we will after a few sleepless nights. We probably got very scared of what we could have accomplished."

Cosmin Olaroiu

"We are all disappointed. The players know the chance they missed, but you could clearly see the lack of experience some of them showed on that field today. We made a lot of errors in the defensive compartment, and we thought we were already in the final a little too early."

Gigi Becali

"First, we lose on Rosenborg, now a second-hand team beats us on our way to the final, scoring 4 goals. I'm sorry for Steaua`s fans. It won't be the same from now on. I can't put my soul into it like I did before. Bostina and Iacob were almost spectators on that field. I won't be coming to Steaua`s matches for a while, I'm too sad. Why did Steaua have to pay for my sins?"