Boro take two-goal lead into second leg

Middlesbrough 2 Xanthi 0

Middlesbrough stuttered towards the group stage of the UEFA Cup as Greek side Xanthi launched an unlikely second-half fightback.

After seeing the Teessiders take a 28th-minute lead through George Boateng in a first half dominated by the Barclays Premiership side, Ioannis Matzourakis’ men rallied to such an extent that they looked like claiming a draw until French defender Jacques Paviot deflected Mark Viduka’s 83rd-minute shot into his own net.

Xanthi did not score during their only previous European adventure, which lasted just one round, but they might have done so four times inside six second-half minutes as Boro crumbled at the back.

Had Georgian midfielder Levan Maghradze or striker Stavros Labriakos taken either of the two chances they each had to level, Steve McClaren’s men might have headed for Greece in a fortnight’s time with a tricky game in prospect.

As it is, they will do so knowing they should progress comfortably, but also that they cannot afford slip-ups against a side which at times cut them open with embarrassing ease.

The 14,191 spectators who braved a miserable night at the Riverside Stadium left happy enough with the result, but knowing things could have taken a nasty turn had one of those chances been taken.

Boro enjoyed several thrilling nights in last season’s UEFA Cup when they rubbed shoulders with and beat Lazio and Partizan Belgrade and enjoyed two epic battles with Sporting Lisbon, who went on to make the final.

But there was little of that excitement on offer at the Riverside Stadium on a dreary Teesside night as McClaren took the calculated risk of resting skipper Gareth Southgate, Franck Queudrue and Aiyegbeni Yakubu, with Fabio Rochemback ineligible.

His belief was that the side he fielded would be good enough to beat Xanthi, and he looked safe in that assumption before the break as the Greeks failed to muster a single serious effort on goal.

In former Boro midfielder Emerson, now 33, and compatriots De Souza Luciano and Francisco Andrade – better known as Chiknio – they had class, but it was in all too short supply as the Teessiders strolled through the first half.

However, the task of turning dominance into clear-cut chances was one which went undone for long periods as Boateng, Doriva and Ray Parlour controlled the game in the middle of the park to allow 18-year-old winger Adam Johnson to torment full-back Vasilis Torosidis.

Massimo Maccarone, one of his side’s goalscoring heroes in the 2-1 win over Arsenal on Saturday, squandered an early chance when he latched on to Giannis Papadimitriou’s woefully underhit back-pass and rounded keeper Petr Pizanowski, only to run the ball out of play.

But the Italian did play a major role in his side’s 28th-minute opener when he took advantage of the hapless Papadimitriou’s slip to fire in a shot which Pizanowski could only beat away to Boateng, who made no mistake with the follow-up.

Boateng and Viduka both had long range efforts saved and the Australian had another blocked by Macedonian defender Vance Sikov, but Boro had to make do with the slimmest of leads at the break.

The Dutch midfielder might have double his tally within a minute of the restart when Sikov could only divert a right-wing cross into his path, but although he shifted the ball into space on to his left foot, Torosidis launched himself into the path of his shot to keep his side in the game.

However, prompted by the excellent Luciano, the visitors repeatedly ripped holes in the embarrassed home defence to allow Georgian midfielder Maghradze to test Mark Schwarzer from close range on 52 minutes and then lone striker Labriaos to fire over the top three minutes later.

The Teessiders failed to learn their lesson and they might have been pegged back had Maghradze not dragged a second shot wide after dumping both Ugo Ehiogu and Matthew Bates on their backsides before Emerson whistled a long-range drive just wide of the upright.

McClaren’s response was to withdraw the adventurous Johnson and send on Queudrue to form the left-flank link in a three-man defence with Emanuel Pogatetz and Abel Xavier playing as wing-backs.

Such was Boro’s concern, Maccarone and Parlour were withdrawn with 17 minutes remaining as Yakubu and James Morrison arrived with the result still in the balance.

Boro managed to ease themselves back into the game, but they needed a helping hand from the unfortunate Paviot to make the pressure count when he deflected Viduka’s shot into his own net.

Morrison drilled a late effort wide, but his side had secured their first-leg victory.