Football story by Boris Webb, Fri, 17 Feb 2006 12:40:01 GMT


Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink turned in a stunning display as Middlesbrough defeated Stuttgart 1-2 away from home in a second round UEFA Cup match last night. The win and the margin mean that Steve McClaren's side have a very good chance of progressing thorough to the last 16 in the competition.

Stuttgart had the better chances and were attacking from early on but Hasselbaink's goal in the 20th minute turned the tide in Boro's favor. Boro goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was kept on his toes for the early part of the match and affected a couple of close saves from Ljuboja's shots.

Fernando Meira's clearance failed to avert the danger for Stuttgart as it hit Boateng's back and landed on Hasselbaink's feet. He made no mistake and keeper Timo Hildebrand could only deflect the ball into the net.

Zvonimir Soldo and Jon Dahl Tomasson came close for the home side, but good defensive play from Boro kept the advantage firmly with them. After the break Boateng ran clear and passed the ball to Parnaby who made it 2-0 for the visitors. Ljuboja then gave them some anxious moments with a superb free kick, but Boro held on to come away with a fine win.

Boro manager Steve McClaren was pleased with the discipline shown by his team, "We would have settled for that score line before the game. You need to be disciplined and that was what we were," he said. "We want to do well in the competition, we feel we can but there is a long way to go. It is the last third of the season and there is still a lot to play for."

Match Details
Referee: A Hamer (Luxembourg).

Stuttgart: Hildebrand, Stranzl (Beck 46), Meira, Delpierre, Gerber, Gronkjaer, Meissner (Gentner 80), Soldo, Hitzlsperger (Gomez 66), Tomasson, Ljuboja.
Goal: Ljuboja 86

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Parnaby, Riggott, Southgate, Pogatetz, Doriva, Davies, Boateng (Kennedy 81), Rochemback, Downing (Johnson 73), Hasselbaink (Yakubu 85).
Goals: Hasselbaink 20, Parnaby 46.

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