Blackburn fail to make up deficit

Blackburn 1 Genclerbirligi 1 (Aggregate: 2-4)

Blackburn suffered another night of European misery as Graeme Souness’ side crashed out of the UEFA Cup at the first hurdle.

Trailing 3-1 from the first leg to Genclerbirligi, the return at Ewood Park always looked as if it would be a bridge too far for Rovers.

Blackburn, though, only have themselves to blame, spurning enough chances over the 90 minutes in the return tonight to have cantered into Friday’s second-round draw, hitting the bar on the three occasions.

The UEFA Cup, however, has certainly proved Blackburn’s undoing over the years - in 10 matches and four campaigns they have yet to taste victory, registering four draws and six defeats.

History was also against Rovers – it is now 15 ties, 11 domestically and four in in Europe, in which they have trailed in the first leg and failed to stage a comeback

Yet Souness could be said to have made a move which backfired from the off as he opted for the inexperienced pairing of Matt Jansen and Corrado Grabbi in attack, the latter making his first start of the season.

Robbed of Andy Cole to a neck injury – on his 32nd birthday too – Souness chose to surprisingly leave the more renowned duo of Dwight Yorke and Dino Baggio on the bench, only introducing the pair on the hour mark with Blackburn still chasing the game.

The Scot, critical of his defence in a number of games prior to this match yet praiseworthy of his strikeforce, must have been shaking his head in disbelief as the chances came and went in an all-out opening 25-minute assault.

After David Thompson had been booked inside two minutes for a late challenge on Ali Tandogan, the Turkish side were forced back.

Blackburn should have pulled back the first goal in the fourth minute when a loose ball fell to Jansen, but from 10 yards he somehow dragged his right-foot drive wide with the goal at his mercy.

After Rovers had a penalty appeal turned down, Jansen struck a shot on the turn which hit the bar, with Garry Flitcroft seeing his close-range rebound effort cleared off the line before Grabbi sliced the follow-up wide.

The tie could have been put beyond Rovers’ reach, though, in the 14th minute when El Saka and Deniz Baris superbly prised open the defence.

Neat passing eventually took the ball to Souleymane Youla – who scored a brace in Turkey – but with only Brad Friedel to beat, he blazed wide.

Twelve minutes later and Grabbi was perfectly placed again, this time receiving an inch-perfect right-wing cross from Steven Reid, only to loop a clear header onto the roof of the net.

The missed opportunities were beginning to look costly with the Turks tightening up as the half wore on, with Blackburn finding it increasingly difficult to find a way through, only to then blaze a trail at the start of the second period.

Thompson first exploded a right-foot drive against the crossbar, with the rebound this time eluding Grabbi, before the latter fired wide on the hour from 12 yards as goalkeeper Damir Botonjic gratefully looked on.

It proved to be Grabbi’s last action of the game for he was then replaced by Baggio in the 60th minute, followed two minutes later by Yorke taking over from Vratislav Gresko as Souness switched to three up front and three at the back.

It worked wonders, with Rovers finally making the breakthrough in the 64th minute with Jansen driving home after his initial shot had been saved by Botonjic.

But Blackburn were guilty of going to sleep in defence a minute later, with the clean-sheet Souness had demanded for the first time this season going when Reid lost the ball in the area and and Mustafa Ozkan firing underneath Friedel.

In the closing 15 minutes El Saka cleared off the line from Jansen, Botonjic brilliantly clawed away a top-right corner bound Thompson free-kick, while Tugay saw a drive deflected onto the bar by Serkan Balci.

It was clearly not to be Blackburn’s night.