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Three's a charm for Parma UEFA Cup captured with 3-0 victory against Marseille
Posted: Wednesday May 12, 1999 06:14 PM
MOSCOW (AP) -- Parma's twin strikeforce of Enrico Chiesa and Hernan Crespo again proved too hot to handle as the Italian team outclassed Marseille 3-0 in Wednesday's UEFA Cup final. Chiesa scored his eighth goal of this season's UEFA Cup and Crespo his sixth as Parma marched to its third European title of the 1990s. The pre-match favorite was too strong for an under-strength Marseille team after Crespo punished a rare defensive blunder by Laurent Blanc in the 26th minute. The normally-reliable French international connected porly to an attempted back header to goalkeeper Stephane Porato, presenting the 23-year-old Argentine hitman with a comfortable lob from the edge of the penalty box. Ten minutes later, Paolo Vanoli headed in an accurate cross from Diego Fuser, who was a UEFA Cup final loser with Lazio last season. Crespo, who has now scored 28 goals in league and cup matches this season, nearly fired a third seconds later, but Porato pushed over his 20-yard snapshot.
But any hopes of a second-half Marseille comeback were dashed in the 55th minute, when Chiesa met a Juan Veron cross with a stunning 15-yard shot that flew past Prato. Parma, which won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1993 and the UEFA Cup in 1995, easily contained the French team in the second half. In front of 55,000 fans at the Luzhniki stadium, Marseille sorely missed the five first-team players absent because of suspension and injury. Liverpool-bound striker Titi Camara wasted its best chance, shooting well wide from eight yards in the 70th minute. "We gave away two goals in the first half. After that it was mission impossible," said Marseille coach Rolland Courbis. Without the suspended Christophe Dugarry, Fabrizio Ravanelli, Peter Luccin and William Gallas and injured Eric Roy, Marseille looked a shadow of the team that fought its way to the final. It especially lacked firepower in the absence of regular strikers Dugarry and Ravanelli. Coach Rolland Courbis was forced to ditch his normal attacking 4-3-3 formation in favor of a more defensive lineup with Florian Maurice a lone front player. That strategy quickly unraveled after Crespo's goal. "We weren't worried at 0-0. But the first goal devalued our strategy," said Marseille midfielder Robert Pires. "We gave away two goals in the first half. After that it was mission impossible," Courbis said. "We prepared hard for this match," Courbis added. "We prepared to have 1 people go on the field and fight like 12. The other team was just stronger." The result continues Parma's brilliant recent record in European competition -- it was playing its fourth European final in seven seasons -- and rounds off a fine year for the ambitious club, winner of the Italian Cup last week. It also maintains Italy's domination of the UEFA Cup: Inter Milan has won the trophy three times, and Juventus and Parma twice, in the 1990s. "To say that I am satisfied doesn't say it right at all. I'm overwhelmed," said Parma coach Alberto Malesani. Parma beat Fenebahce, Wisla Krakow, Glasgow Rangers, Bordeaux and Atletico Madrid in its march to the final. But with only about 600 Parma fans in the stadium, the match finished with long periods of silence around the giant stadium. Earlier in the day, Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov had ordered several cloud-seeding planes to prevent overcast skies from dumping snow. In cold but clear conditions, the pitch started in a good state, but deteriorated badly in the second half. Lineups Parma: Gianluigi Buffon; Liliam Thuram, Roberto Sensini (captain), Fabio Cannavaro; Diego Fuser, Dino Baggio, Alain Boghossian, Paolo Vanoli, Juan Sebastian Veron (Stefano Fiore, 76th); Hernan Crespo (austino Asprilla, 84th), Enrico Chiesa (Abel Balbo, 73rd). Olympique Marseille: Stephane Porato; Patrick Blondeau, Pierre Issa, Laurent Blanc (captain), Cyril Domoraud, Edson (Titi Camara, 46th); Frederic Brando, Daniel Bravo, Robert Pires, Jocelyn Gourvennec; Florian Maurice. Referee: Hugh Dallas (Scotland).
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