Goal-hungry Maccarone serves up Boro double

Middlesbrough 2 Liteks Lovetch 0

With challengers AZ Alkmaar leading Grasshoppers 1-0 in Holland, the £8.15 million (€12 million) striker headed home an 80th-minute opener in front of just 9,436 largely disgruntled fans.

And he followed up six minutes later by drilling a blistering left-foot shot past Litex Lovech keeper Vitomir Vutov to claim the points and a supposedly easier route through today’s draw for the last 32.

The visitors had settled first and might have taken the lead when full-back Mihail Venkov squared for striker Novakovic, who dragged his effort wide from 20 yards.

The visitors continued to threaten at the start of the second half, and might have gone in front twice within minutes but for Brad Jones, who was deputising for Mark Schwarzer.

Jones sprinted from his line to dispossess Novakovic before he could shoot. Then the Boro stopper dived low to his right to keep out a well-struck volley by the same player.

However, with the fans starting to turn, Maccarone repaid another instalment of his transfer fee with his double.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Jones, Bates, Ehiogu, Riggott, Queudrue, Morrison, Doriva, Kennedy, Johnson, Hasselbaink (Cattermole 83), Maccarone.

LITEKS LOVETCH: Vutov, Berberovic, Cichero, Caillet, Venkov, Palankov (Kirilov 77), Jelenkovic, Genchev, Correa (Hazurov 87), Zlatinov (Lyubenov 74), Novakovic.

Referee: Serge Gumienny (Belgium)

Last night’s results: UEFA Cup Group A: Hamburg 2 Slavia Prague 0; Monaco 2 CSKA Sofia 1. Group B: Espanyol 1 Maccabi Petach Tikva 0; Palermo 3 Brondby 0. Group C: Hertha Berlin 0 Steaua Bucharest 0; Lens 2 Sampdoria 1; Group D: AZ Alkmaar 1 Grasshoppers 0.International: Mexico 2 Hungary 0.