Chelsea, Lazio, Lokomotiv win big
Posted: Thursday March 04, 1999 08:24 PM
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Roberto DiMatteo (right) and Chelsea jumped all over Joachim Waltin and Valerenga. AP |
LONDON (AP) -- Chelsea, Lazio and Moscow Lokomotiv picked up easy
victories Thursday in the Cup Winners Cup first-leg quarterfinals
with Spain's Mallorca playing a scoreless draw at Varteks Croatia.
Holders Chelsea, trying to become the first club to win the cup
in back-to-back years, defeated Norwegian part-times Valerenga 3-0
on goals from Celestine Babayaro, Gianfranco Zola and Dennis Wise.
Italian league leaders Lazio, favored to reach the finals
against the English side, overwhelmed Greek side Panionios 4-0 with
Yugoslav Dejan Stankovic scoring twice.
Georgian Zaza Dzhanashia got a hat trick as Moscow's Lokomotiv
beat Maccabi Haifa of Israel 3-0 on a frozen pitch, and Mallorca
and Varteks ended scoreless.
In London, Chelsea took a 1-0 lead in the 10th when Babayaro
scored on a sharp-angle shot from 15 meters to beat Finnish reserve
goalkeeper Mikko Kaven on his near post. Zola made it 2-0 in the
30th and Wise got the finisher in the 85th.
The taller Norwegians' hope of winning on a corner kick or a
free kick never materialized, and 19-year-old striker John Carew
had few chances as the Norwegians played their first official match
after training in Spain.
In Athens, Stankovic scored in the third and 60th with another
form Pavel Nedved in the 63rd as the Italians ran over the modest
Greek side. Lazio got its second goal on an own-goal from Thanassis
Gazis.
The game, played before 12,000 spectators, was a one-team show
as Lazio dominated as Lazio goalie Luca Marchegiai had little to
do.
Lazio took an early lead from Stankovic off a corner kick taken
by Simisa Mihajlovic. Ten minutes later, Chilean striker Marcelo
Salas centered from the right and Gazis, in his effort to defend,
headed the ball into his own net.
Stankovic made it 3-0 off a perfect pass from Salas in the 60th
and Pavel Nedved closed out the scoring three minutes later.
In Moscow, last season's semifinalists Lokomotiv dominated the
match -- its first of the season -- as Dzhanashia broke through in
the 47th on a 40-meter shot that caught Maccabi goalkeeper
Nir Davidovich by surprise.
Dzhanashia notched his second goal in the 77th and got his third
in the 89th, which will make the Russians overwhelming favorites to
advance from the second leg in Israel in two weeks.
Tight security was in place as police searched the stands for
bombs and spectators were checked with metal detectors at the
30,000 sellout. Anti-Semitic demostrations have taken place
recently in Russia but no problems were reported.
In Varazdin, Croatia, Varteks and Mallorca played to an
entertaining 0-0 draw. Mallorca was perhaps closer to breaking the
0-0 deadlock had goalkeeper Marijan Mrmic not pulled off two
point-blank saves in the 65th and 68th minute from Dani. He bravely
smothered several ensuing opportunities, including a one-on-one
with Yugoslav Veljko Paunovic.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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