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MACCARONE'S THE BIG CHEESE
By Damian Spellman of Betting Zone
UEFA Cup hero Massimo Maccarone has admitted he will never forget the night he wrote himself into Middlesbrough folklore.
Boro were heading out of the semi-finals on away goals to Steaua Bucharest when the £8.15 million Italian struck with a minute remaining to book their place in the final.
It was his second goal in the game after coming on as a substitute to complete a comeback every bit as remarkable as the one he finished off against Basle in the quarter-finals.
"Sometimes, it's very lucky," he said. "Sometimes you play ninety minutes and you have no chances; I played seventy minutes and had two chances and I scored both.
"It's fantastic. It's the second time in two UEFA Cup games, and I'm very happy.
"I'll never forget this for all my life."
Maccarone, the club's record signing when he joined from Empoli during the summer of 2002, came on as a 26th-minute replacement for injured skipper Gareth Southgate with his side trailing 3-0 on aggregate, and he could hardly have made a bigger impact.
"It was difficult because were were 2-0 down and we had to score four goals," he said. "But if you believe, you can do it, and we did."
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