Southgate hails heroic Boro

Middlesbrough captain Gareth Southgate hailed the performance of his team-mates after producing the “best night in the club’s history” to reach the UEFA Cup quarter-finals.

Boro were beaten 2-1 in the Olympic Stadium in Rome but Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s first-half header proved the difference as Boro progressed on away goals, having won 1-0 at home in the first leg.

Southgate told ITV4: “It’s fantastic. It has to be the best night in the club’s history.

“To come here, we knew they were a good side and they showed it.

“We knew we needed an away goal and (Mark) Schwarzer made some good saves to keep us in it.”

Boro were left hanging on after Roma hit back with two goals, including a penalty, from Alessandro Mancini.

Southgate added: “We took all our strikers off and didn’t seem to get out of our half.

“But we managed to soak it up. Credit to everybody. It took guts and we had something to hang onto.”