Boro get away win in Greece
Egaleo 0 Middlesbrough 1
Young wing wizard Stewart Downing came off the bench save Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren’s blushes with a crucial goal which ensured the Teessiders’ UEFA Cup Group E campaign got off to a winning start.
The 20-year-old grabbed all three points for the visitors with a neat low finish with just 12 minutes left.
Downing has been left out of the starting line-up – along with Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink and Gaizka Mendieta – as McClaren looked to keep legs fresh for Sunday’s Barclays Premiership clash with Portsmouth,
It was far from convincing stuff from Boro, who rode their luck at times and had goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer to thank for several key saves as Boro clung on for their first taste of victory on foreign soil.
Downing’s vital goal, just seven minutes after he entered proceedings for Boudewijn Zenden, means Boro can look forward to the home game with Lazio at the Riverside in two weeks knowing they can afford to drop points and probably still reach the knockout stages.
That outcome had not looked likely for long periods as McClaren’s weakened side struggled against their youthful and energetic opponents.
Hasselbaink was rested by McClaren with fit-again Mark Viduka named alongside Slovakian hitman Szilard Nemeth in attack.
But the Australian, who had not trained much prior to the match after recently overcoming a hip injury looked sluggish.
The 11,700-capacity Rizoupoli stadium was not more than one third full when the match got underway after a five-minute delay – but the Egaleo fans made their presence felt with loud drums and constant chanting.
Understandably, both sides began cautiously and with the exception of a couple of crosses in the opening five minutes from the Greeks, neither side threatened to score in the opening exchanges.
Egaleo threatened first with the first real chance of the game after 10 minutes after Gareth Southgate had committed a foul on the edge of his own penalty area.
Georgios Fotakis stepped up to take the kick right-footed and the Greek Under-21 starlet blasted a low effort towards goal which Schwarzer pushed wide.
It took Boro 20 minutes to register their first shot on goal, with Zenden sending a 20-yard effort tamely wide of the left hand post.
Such was the lack of goalmouth action that one of the highlights of the first 45 minutes was an over-zealous challenge by youngster Tony McMahon.
Egaleo left-back Daniel Edusei was caught by a sliding lunge by the 18-year-old in the 28th minute – McMahon was booked for his troubles.
The best chance of the game arrived just two minutes before half-time, and once again it came the way of the hosts.
The impressive Chloros surged down the right flank and squared a great ball across the face of the Boro 18-yard area for the on-rushing Barkoglou to try his luck.
Fortunately for the visitors, however, the left winger’s powerful right-footed shot whizzed just wide of Schwarzer’s left-hand post.
McClaren brought on Mendieta at the break for James Morrison in an effort to bring some guile to a midfield which had huffed and puffed its way through the first half.
Boro began the second 45 minutes with more purpose and Doriva fired in the opening shot just two minutes into the half but Mahamadou Sidibe in the Egaleo goal was relived to see the Boro man’s low drive fly past his left post.
The dangerous Chloros threatened again for the home side on 52 minutes, stinging the palms of Schwarzer with a fierce diagonal shot which was then hacked away by McMahon.
A couple of minutes later Boro responded with Zenden sprinting onto a crossfield ball from Nemeth – but the angle was too tight and the Dutchman’s shot hit the sidenetting.
Viduka, a peripheral figure for most of the match, headed tamely over the bar with his first effort on goal just after the hour mark.
Parlour, who had spent much of the match chasing shadows, broke dangerously down the right flank but his low cross was hacked away for a corner by an Egaleo defender after 65 minutes.
A clear indication of McClaren’s growing desperation for a goal came five minutes later when he ended Viduka’s miserable night and brought on Hasselbaink, with Zenden also making way for Downing.
Downing, so impressive against Blackburn at the weekend, came to his manager’s rescue 12 minutes from time – and seven minutes after his introduction – racing onto Parlour’s squared pass to slot home a neat low shot beyond the Egaleo goalkeeper.
The home side seemed shell-shocked after the goal, and it was Boro who now looked to have a hold on the game as the contest entered the final 10 minutes.
Neither side created much in the way of clear-cut chances in the closing stages, with Boro looking content to hang on to what they had.
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