Middlesbrough through despite loss

Thursday, 23, Feb 2006 10:20

Middlesbrough go through in the Uefa Cup on away goals after a 1-0 loss at home to Stuttgart.

The Teesside club were disappointing on a freezing night at the Riverside but their heroics away from home in the first leg were enough to see them into the next round.

Jesper Gronkjaer, Christian Tiffert and Danijel Ljuboja tormented the Boro defence from kick off and Mark Schwarzer was responsible for defending Middlesbrough's 2-1 first leg lead.

It only took Stuttgart 13 minutes to level the aggregate scores. Tiffert was played in by Ljuboja and he beat Stuart Parnaby before scoring with the outside of his boot.

Boro had their first real effort on goal after 20 minutes but Gaizka Mendieta failed to challenge Timo Hildebrand in the Stuttgart goal by curling his free-kick over the bar.

Lone striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink almost scored on 29 minutes but Mendieta's pass to him was cut out just in time.

By the hour mark Middlesbrough began to put the visitors under pressure but they could never sustain the attack and had to rely on the away goals rule to progress.

The bad news for Boro is that in-form Roma await them in the next round after they beat Club Brugge.