Lazio stifled

Porto reaches UEFA Cup final with 0-0 draw

ROME (Reuters) -- Portuguese league leaders Porto progressed smoothly to a UEFA Cup final showdown against Celtic by preserving their 4-1 advantage in a scoreless return leg of their semifinal with Lazio in Rome on Thursday.

Lazio played with ragged urgency in the first half as they desperately tried to overturn the first leg deficit, throwing men forward but often surrendering possession to a Porto side that looked in no mood to hurry.

Though the Rome-based club had to score at least three times to stand any chance of progressing to the May 21 final in Seville, it was the visiting side that initially looked more dangerous.

Porto had the first shot on goal in the seventh minute when Brazilian striker Derlei -- scorer of two goals in the first leg -- unleashed a 25-meter drive that goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani parried on his line.

Lazio eventually calmed their nerves and found their range after 20 minutes, but Porto's central defense pairing of Jorge Costa and Ricardo Carvalho cleared the lines calmly, cutting out dangerous crosses by defender Sinisa Mihajlovic and Brazilian wing-back Cesar.

Shortly before the break Lazio came close to breaking the deadlock when Argentina striker Claudio Lopez's curling shot from outside the area was tipped round the post by Porto keeper Vitor Baia.

The game turned ugly in the 45th minute when referee Gilles Veissiere red-carded Cesar and visiting striker Helder Postiga for elbowing each other in an off-the-ball incident. They had both been booked earlier for a similar clash.

Postiga will now miss the final, Porto's first in continental club competition since they won the European Cup in 1987.

The change handed the advantage to Porto. The Portuguese league leaders showed far more composure on the ball, stroking short passes around the pitch and breaking forward into spaces left behind the hosts' attacks.

In the 57th minute Veissiere awarded Lazio a penalty after Simone Inzaghi was brought down by Jorge Costa in the box.

Lopez's weak kick from the spot, however, failed to beat Baia, who palmed the ball round his post.

Three minutes later a swift Porto counter-attack left Derlei one-on-one against Marchegiani, but the Brazilian shot wide.

In the remaining half hour, a packed Olympic Stadium had precious little to cheer about as Lazio's toothless attack struggled to get a single shot on target.

Lazio coach rues penalty miss

ROME (Reuters) -- Lazio coach Roberto Mancini was left to rue a missed penalty against Porto as his team bowed out at the semifinal stage of the UEFA Cup on Thursday.

"It wasn't a great evening for us. I think it all changed after the penalty we missed," Mancini told reporters after Lazio were held 0-0 in the second leg of their semifinal, losing 4-1 on aggregate.

The Rome-based club had a chance to pull a goal back from the penalty spot shortly after the break when striker Simone Inzaghi was brought down in the box.

Goalkeeper Vitor Baia beat away Claudio Lopez's weak shot, and Lazio rarely threatened afterwards.

"Had we scored then -- with 57th minutes on the clock -- the whole game could have turned round. After that, though, the team didn't function so well," Mancini said.

"The lads did everything I asked them to. Maybe we could have played the ball a little more along the ground rather than sending in so many crosses, but overall I'm pleased with their performance."

The difference between the two sides, Mancini said, was not accurately reflected by the scoreline.

"The gap isn't so great. We messed up the first leg badly, but I feel we were marginally the better side tonight," he said.

"The sending off of [Brazilian winger] Cesar really hurt us. He was the only player we had capable of playing in that position."

While Porto go on to face Celtic in the final in Seville on May 21, Lazio -- currently fourth in Serie A -- must now scrap for Italy's fourth and final Champions League place.

Mancini, however, continued to look on the bright side of a season that began gloomily with the sale of Lazio's most famous players -- defender Alessandro Nesta and striker Hernan Crespo - and has been dogged by financial problems.

"I'd say it's been a more than excellent season. We've got to two cup semifinals (including the Italian Cup) and we can still make it into the Champions League."

Draw was no formality, says Porto's Aloisio

ROME (Reuters) -- Porto assistant coach Aloisio Alves brushed off suggestions that their 0-0 draw with Lazio in the return leg of their UEFA semifinal on Thursday was nothing more than a formality as his side swept into the final.

Porto won the first leg of the tie 4-1 in Oporto, leaving the Rome-based club with the massive task of scoring at least three times in the second.

"Obviously the result of the first leg was very important, but it wasn't decisive," Aloisio told reporters after the match.

"The [4-1 first-leg] scoreline put them under pressure. Had they scored a goal tonight though, it would have given them a push."

The Portuguese league leaders, who meet Celtic in the May 21 final in Seville, presented Lazio with a perfect opportunity to fight back into the tie shortly after halftime.

Home striker Simone Inzaghi was brought down in the box but Claudio Lopez's weak penalty was easily palmed round the post by Porto keeper Vitor Baia, spelling the end of the Italian club's hopes.

"The penalty and the first-half expulsion of [striker] Helder [Postiga] could have made things tricky for us," Aloisio said. Helder and Lazio defender Cesar were both sent off in the 45th minute following an off-the-ball-clash.

"Fortunately we remained calm and stuck with our game plan. Now the objective is to win the Cup, but we've got a long way to go before then."

Summary

Lazio (Italy) 0 Porto (Portugal) 0 -- result

UEFA Cup semifinal, second leg

First leg: 1-4; Porto win 4-1 on aggregate

Missed penalty: Claudio Lopez 57

Red cards: Cesar (Lazio) 45, Helder Postiga (Porto) 45

Attendance: 72,000

Teams:

Lazio: 1-Luca Marchegiani; 22-Massimo Oddo, 24-Fernando Couto, 11-Sinisa Mihajlovic, 3-Cesar; 16-Giuliano Giannichedda (9-Stefano Fiore 50), 20-Fabio Liverani (4-Dino Baggio 67), 5-Dejan Stankovic; 25-Enrico Chiesa (18-Nikola Lazetic 58), 21-Simone Inzaghi, 7-Claudio Lopez

Porto: 99-Vitor Baia; 22-Paulo Ferreira, 2-Jorge Costa, 4-Ricardo Carvalho, 8-Nuno Valente; 15-Dmitri Alenichev (3-Pedro Emanuel 89), 5-Ricardo Costa, 10-Deco (66-Tiago 80), 18-Maniche, 11-Derlei (9-Edgaras Jankauskas 85); 41-Helder Postiga

Referee: Gilles Veissiere (France)

 

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