Washing off spots
Slovan and Grasshopper, who had chosen the basement of quintet C, were clearly ashamed of previous exits to the euro scene, which turned into a fiasco. In an effort to wash off the spots, the teams rushed forward and exchanged quick goals. And then the competitors moved in opposite directions. If the hosts spent three goals and approximately rehabilitated in the eyes of their native public, then the Swiss “grasshoppers” got dirty and more than ever.
"Fener" bangedThe old Italian habit of using mainly reservists in the UEFA Cup doomed Palermo to the brutal punishment inflicted on Sicilians by Fenerbahce. Perhaps the mentor of the islanders, Francesco Gvidolin, was not averse to setting the squad more optimally, but the upcoming clash with Inter on Sunday left no doubt about the choice of accents. As a result, the “Fenerbahçe” didn’t just bump into it - banged all the power of the Istanbul guns. Kezhman, Appia and the walnut company butchered the guests and resolutely entered into the disassembly of the quartet of representatives of the top powers included in group H.
Magical cynicism
Two of them sorted out relationships in Newcastle, where the local magpies longed for a third row of scalp. Two of the former were removed from the participants of the Turkish battle, and the score was the same - 1: 0. “Celta” quickly tempered the ardor of the leader - in the 9th minute Kanobbio led the guests ahead. However, this did not prevent the next manifestation of magical cynicism. Glen Raeder's team delivered in two minutes only two shots on target, but was noted for its masterpiece efficiency. Both shots hit the mark, with Taylor making a decisive hit in the 86th minute.
Berbatov continues
In another representation, comparable in terms of the high level of participants, the upper hand also remained with the envoy of the English Premier League. “Tottenham Hotspur” celebrated a minimal Victoria over “Bayer” thanks to Berbatov's only goal. The Bulgarian forward continues to be the most prominent figure in the current group campaign. In the first round, Dimitar had an active goal and assists in the rivalry with Besiktas (2: 0), and in the second round he scored a hat-trick (2 + 1) against Brugge (3: 1). Returning to Leverkusen, we note that the Londoners could win more weightily. The same Berbatov in the opening of the second half was in front of an empty net, but clumsily waved his foot past the ball. And at the end of the half, the guests even arranged an attraction of extravagance: profitable odds sequentially ruined Shimbonda, Kin and Mido.
Twice in two - two
The duet of the French clubs, Auxerre and Nancy, was almost simultaneously content with the world with identical numbers 2: 2. The first quite vividly and convincingly opposed the Scottish Rangers. The British now and then extinguished the fires behind, initiated by the Pole Elen. The nimble striker mercilessly stung from free zones, where he repeatedly burst. Elen participated in both goals of Auxerre, first distinguishing himself, and then assisting Niculae. He, by the way, sent the ball to the destination with the first touch after leaving for a substitution. Nevertheless, the victory eluded the French team. The fatal mistake was that she did not stop on time, continued to swagger and wield on the opposite courses. The result is sad - in the end, Chris Boyd regained his balance.
Petrich to the rescue“Nancy” has braked in Switzerland in a step from three points. When already in the stoppage time with a score of 2: 2, the Basel players rushed to the other half in a crowd (the tournament situation obliged them to win), the guests made a 3-in-1 counterattack and earned a penalty with the goalkeeper Costanzo removed. The limit of substitutions by the owners was exhausted, so goalkeeper's ammunition was forced to try on the key player of “Basel” Mladen Petrich. They say a talented person is talented in everything. Petrich did not violate this postulate, reflecting Michel Chretien's eleven meter.
Waregem swallowed
The addresses of the most colorful scoring feasts were Barcelona and Paris. In the capital of Catalonia, “Espanyol” under a clean “ate” the Belgian “Zulte Waregem”, the main autumn troublemaker, - 6: 2. Paris saw two goals less, where the Tel Aviv “Hapoel" surprisingly left PSG with nothing - 2: 4. Another Israeli club, “Maccabi” from Haifa, supported the mood of compatriots and coped with the Belgrade “Partizan” - 1-0 in their native walls.
Parma is an excellent
The soft selection system for the playoff stage (three of the five teams of the group go through) makes it possible to name five iron students. In any case, in the remaining rounds, the four of the British teams (Tottenham, Newcastle, Blackburn and Rangers), as well as Parma, will not fall out of the leading triples of their quintets. The latter is kept somewhat apart - she managed to solve the problem not in three matches, like the rest, but in two!
Denis ORLOV