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MIDDLESBROUGH v VfB STUTTGART
Riverside Stadium, 23 February 2006
Every match is a big match for Boro at the moment. With team and fans bouyed by the recent run of victories tonight was a night where nerves needed to be kept. A narrow one goal lead over Stuttgart, a team equally matched in many ways, in no way safely predicted overall victory in the home leg.
Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Riggott, Southgate, Queudrue, Parnaby, Cattermole, Mendiata, Downing, Boateng, Hasselbaink.
Subs: Jones, Ehiogu, Maccarone, Yakubu, McMahon, Taylor, Viduka
Stuttgart: Hildebrand, Heinen, Delpierre, Magnin, Babbel, Meißner, Gerber, Soldo, Tiffert, Bierofka, Gentner, Hitzlsperger, Grønkjær, Carevic, Cacu, Gomez, Tomasson, Ljuboja
Stuttgart started brightly and clearly meant business, with a couple of early surges on goal, followed by two free kicks from Ljuboja which threatened to put the visitors ahead after 6 mins.
Boro did not capitalise on their away goal advantage, did not come out of the blocks running and you could smell the danger in the air as the visitors went on the attack. It was Tiffert who planted the ball safely home after Ljuboja created a pass from some nifty footwork which outsmarted Boro.
Boro 0 Stuttgart 1 (Tiffert, 13)
Boro were clearly rattled by this and came back fighting. A possibility to get back in the game arose from a foul on Mendieta who could took the free kick only to blast it into the New Holgate end. Tiffert then brought down Franck Q and this time Downing placed the ball well, but Hasselbaink only managed to get a head to it before it was safely scooped up by Hildebrand
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A further free kick on 30 mins after a Magnin foul on Parnaby brought no joy for Boro and this was swiftly followed by a yellow for Boateng, and we were looking at almost a replay of last week, where the home team were by far the inferior side.
Both teams were playing 4-5-1 but in reality the game was scrappy with neither team looking like they had a definite plan but Stuttgart certainly had the overall ascendancy. Boro defence was working hard, with Southgate and Riggot giving it everything and going for some brave tackles, but unfortunately this was not reciprocated in the attack, Jimmy's frustration was clear as time after time the ball failed to reach him. Some strong words were likely in the half time dressing room
Half Time Fan reaction
"A difficult first half but we have to get the attack sorted if we want to finish them off in the second half"
Dave Boro
Second Half
No Changes for either team at the start of the second half, Boro coming out of the changing rooms with grim determination on their faces. Jimmy tried to make a duplicate of Parnaby's early second half goal at the reverse fixture, but was thwarted by Hildebrand. Much brighter at the start from Boro and there was a real sense that the lead was not going to be sat back on.
A bit too much eagerness from Mendi saw him booked for his trouble by bringing down Magnin but straight away Downing motored towards Mendieta, causing Tiffert to panic and bring him to ground by quite childishly sticking a leg out. There was still still no joy from set pieces for Boro and the aggregate score was still level.
Although the Boro attack was a little more lively than th e first half, which frankly was not difficult to achieve, at every turn there were Stuttgart defenders and the break could not be found. Two brilliant balls form JFH ended in an offside on 57 minutes and that was the nearest Boro had been all match.
JFH and Mendi then whipped up the crowd by executing a tense exchange that studiously beat the Stuttgart defence and the eventual shot was surprisingly knocked clear by Babbel.
Stuttgart reacted to this by immediately bringing on a second striker, Gomez, in exchange for Gronkjaer, while Boro carried on vainly trying to avoid the offside trap. A direct free kick from Magnin, following a Southgate foul on Gomez was safely delivered straight to Schwarzer's hands, but Boro were still playing like a team on the edge.
The visitors knew they had to gamble if they were to obtain the necessary goal to take them through, and the sense of urgency was palpable as they desperately tried to find creativity in every kick, whilst Boro lumbered their way towards victory. A further two substitutions (Cacau for Meissner and ) continued to stoke the Stuttgart fires. You had to wonder if Boro were ever going to find the net as JFH was still not being fed anything of note from the midfield.
Into the Red Zone .
The final part of the second half started with a direct free kick for Boro with JFH looking like he was measuring up for a signature hoof, but fizzled out wide. Stuttgart surged forward and a free kick was conceded at the other end of the pitch. Boro lived on their nerves and possession was traded with players all over the place.
A last ditch attempt to wrap up the game finally was attempted by putting on Ehiogu and Yakubu for Mendi and JFH. Immediately a magnificent block by The Boat followed by the Yak surging forwards woke up the crowd for the final Boro burst. Over-eagerness from Cattermole saw him cautioned, and Downing was replaced for Taylor. The crowd were on their feet and the game came alive in the final minutes with both teams trying to bury the game.
No further goals were scored in a match that brought defeat and victory for Boro.
Central defence had been our saviours tonight, but overall we had been a clear second best on the night. In a match that was dire at times and short on grit and guts, at the final whistle there was joy all around the Riverside as Boro booked their place in the last 16 for the second year in succession.
Full time Fan Reaction:
"We didn't play well for much of the game but we got the result and that's what tonight was all about"
Smoggy Forever
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