The Hindu : Sport / Football : No goals in UEFA Cup semifinal matches

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 24, 2004

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Sport - Football

No goals in UEFA Cup semifinal matches

LONDON, APRIL 23. 0-0 and 0-0. Those were the results in Thursday's two UEFA Cup first-round semifinal ties, a scoreless standoff in Spain between neighbours Villarreal and Valencia and a draw in Newcastle against visiting French side Marseille.

The slight edge in the second leg on May 6 probably goes to the home teams — Valencia and Marseille — with the final in Europe's No. 2 club competition on May 19 in Goteburg, Sweden.

Valencia last won this trophy in 1963, and Newcastle took it in 1969. Marseille, the 93 European champion, was the losing finalist in 1999. Outsider Villarreal is making its debut in European soccer.

``We're still in it,'' said Newcastle striker Alan Shearer. He could have been speaking for any of the sides.

In Villarreal, the Spanish league leader Valencia had slightly the better of all-Spanish game and missed several chances to take a lead back to their Mestalla Stadium.

Villarreal, which has eliminated Trabzonspor, Torpedo Moscow, Galatasaray, AS Roma and Celtic in earlier rounds, found Valencia a much harder adversary in the match between the rivals who are separated by only 40 miles.

The result means Villarreal still has not conceded a goal at its Madrigal Stadium in any of its nine matches in the Intertoto Cup and the UEFA Cup.

Newcastle and Marseille got about the right result in an even match.

The English are struggling with the French. At neighbouring Monaco earlier this week, Monaco dominated England's Chelsea 3-1 in the first-leg semifinals of the Champions League.

Marseille goal-keeper Fabien Barthez made several key saves to keep the French in it. The former Manchester United 'keeper was jeered by English fans whenever he made a move — AP

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