UEFA Cup - Rovers stutter past MyPa

Eurosport - Fri, 31 Aug 08:53:00 2007

FOOTBALL 2006-2007 UEFA Cup Blackburn Salzberg Bentley - 0

David Bentley set the home side on their way just after half-time with a thumping left foot volley from Morten Gamst Pedersen's cross, and Jason Roberts wrapped up the win on the stroke of full time with a cheeky backheel from point blank range.

Rovers now go into the draw for the first round of the UEFA Cup, scheduled to take place on Friday afternoon.

Carrying a 1-0 advantage into the game from the first leg, many were expecting Rovers to rack up the goals against their unfancied opponents, though the Finns offered admirable resistance.

Blackburn almost caught them cold in the opening minute when Roberts beat MyPa 'keeper Janne Korhonen to a Bentley through ball, though the burly striker was unable to manoeuvre himself into a shooting position before being crowded out.

Roberts then wasted a glorious chance to open the scoring on ten minutes as he got a toe to Emerton's fine ball across the box, though somehow managed to poke the ball wide from just a few yards out.

Blackburn continued to dominate the possession, though carelessness and lack of concentration in the final third, coupled with a string of fine stops from Korhonen ensured the Finns' goal remained intact.

The crowd even began to get frustrated at their side's efforts at times, until Korhonen pulled off two top class stops in succession, first to deny Roberts from little more than six yards, then to palm away a Maceo Rigters header.

The relief around Ewood Park was palpable when Bentley finally drilled the ball into the back of the net for the first goal at the start of the second half, though it was by no means a case of the floodgates opening, as MyPa stuck doggedly to their task.

Andre Ooijer spurned a good chance to double the lead just short of the hour mark, glancing over from a fine Pedersen, while MyPa began to grow in confidence in midfield, though failed to genuinely penetrate the Blackburn defence.

Their best chance of the match fell to substitute Saku Puhakainen three minutes from time after he was put through by Tuomas Kuparinen, though the striker fired his shot straight at Brad Friedel.

It seemed the match would peter out to a successful if rather unsatisfying conclusion for the home fans, before Roberts chested down a header from Matt Derbyshire with his back to goal in injury time, and flicked the ball over the line with his heel.

Job done for Mark Hughes' side, who can now look forward to a second successive European adventure.

Eurosport

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