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BORO BACKERS CELEBRATE COUP
By Betting Zone
Middlesbrough are the 6/5 outsiders to win the UEFA Cup final against Sevilla following their incredible comeback in the semi-finals against Steaua Bucharest.
It was déjà vu at the Riverside against Steaua, and some Betfair punters were celebrating a 119/1 winner as Boro again came back from the dead to reach the final after winning 4-2 on the night, and 4-3 on aggregate.
Steaua, having won the first leg 1-0, traded at 1.01 (1/100) to qualify for the final when going 2-0 up after 24 minutes. That put them 3-0 up on aggregate, with two away goals into the bargain.
And, with over £159,000 matched at the minimum price of 1/100 some serious sums changed hands at that stage.
In addition, Middlesbrough were also laid at 120 (119/1) to qualify for the final, with £454 backed on Boro at odds of 109/1 alone.
Shades of Basel in the last round flickered into punters' thoughts - Boro scored four goals in 60 second-leg minutes (including an injury time clincher) to qualify from the quarter finals - as Boro went 3-2 up on 73 minutes.
And they then burst out of the night sky when Massimo Maccarone scored in the 89th minute to put the home side through.
Sevilla set up a final date with Boro in Eindhoven next month after beating Schalke in extra time at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, winning 1-0 on aggregate.
There was nothing between the two sides over the regular 180 minutes, meaning extra-time was required to settle the tie.
And it took the fresh legs of Sevilla substitute Antonio Puerta to break the deadlock and put the Spaniards in the final, creating the second Anglo-Spanish European final after Barcelona 24 hours earlier joined Arsenal in the final of the Champions League.
And just as the Gunners are outsiders for that, Boro are odds-against with the bookies at a top-priced 6/5.
Sevilla range from 8/13 to 8/11.
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