SOCCER/Uefa Cup final/Middlesbro - 0 Sevilla - 4: Middlesbrough have fought the odds with pride in the Uefa Cup, but last night they succumbed to them. Sevilla, a side of far greater distinction, outplayed them and claimed the full rewards of their finesse late in the game.
Enzo Maresca, once a teenage signing for West Brom, notched two goals to extend his team's lead before Freddie Kanoute scored a late fourth following a save by Mark Schwarzer that saw the ball pushed towards the substitute.
What was Steve McClaren to think of it? This was a humbling end to his tenure at the club before becoming England manager, but the size of the defeat may allow him to claim that no amount of acumen could have denied Sevilla.
Boro were taking up arms against both Sevilla and the seeming logic of the final. The Spanish club, pressing for fourth place in La Liga, literally enjoy a greater standing and with the game barely begun it was obvious their players had faith in their superiority.
McClaren's squad held an opportunity to record the greatest victory in Boro's history but it did not look as if there was potential for comeback triumphs on the scale of the two previous rounds.
To their regret, they discovered in the 26th minute that a bid to tap those powers of recovery would be essential.
Sevilla's reward for a confident start came with an opener that highlighted the tentativeness of Boro. Daniel Alves crossed from deep on the right but McClaren's side were not in control, even though the back four had the luxury of facing the ball in flight. Rather than attack it, Chris Riggott was disoriented as he left Luis Fabiano in space and the Brazilian's header pinged off the inside of Schwarzer's right-hand post and hit the net.
In this tournament the Boro defence's contribution has too often been to create a terrible plight to which the attackers must respond, but prior to the interval Sevilla could not be pinned back for long enough to instill anxiety. A Fabio Rochemback free-kick beaten out by the goalkeeper Andres Palop in the fifth minute was as far up the slope as Boro got to the peak of excitement.
The Premiership side seemed to doubt themselves. That state of mind could be diagnosed from the kind of hesitation that let the left-back David put Adriano in behind Stuart Parnaby in the eighth minute for a low cross that Riggott had to bundle behind perilously close to the near post.
Boro jangled with nerves. Shortly before half-time, George Boateng gave the ball away in his half when it appeared there was a fine opportunity to attack on the right if he had made a different pass.
The Boro chemistry may not work before the interval in this tournament, but it at least bubbles eventually, and there was a glaring opportunity for an equaliser in the 52nd minute. Riggott headed Rochemback's deep free-kick back across and Viduka, from close range, saw Palop block his finish with an outstretched foot.
McClaren, once again, had already turned to the specialist saviour of the side, Massimo Maccarone. The scorer of late winners in the ties with Basel and Steaua Bucharest was on in place of James Morrison. Unfortunately Sevilla do not resemble the Romanians and had no intention of spending the remainder of the match in deep defence.
Before Viduka's chance Adriano, on the break, had put a bending drive a whisper wide of the woodwork. Juande Ramos, the Sevilla coach, had introduced Freddie Kanoute in place of the muted Javier Saviola and the La Liga side were mindful to keep on posing a threat of their own.
Boro were determined, for their part, to create a siege and Yakubu Aiyegbeni was introduced, with Franck Queudrue trooping off and Stewart Downing, with an echo of the semi-final, acting as the most adventurous of left-backs. None of that caused immediate confusion in Sevilla minds and Alvez had an effort pushed wide by Schwarzer.
Sevilla, eventually, did feel the stress and there was a strong appeal for a penalty in the 76th minute when Javi Navarro leapt into the back of Viduka, but Ramos's side struck on the break two minutes later. Schwarzer failed to hold a Kanoute shot as Sevilla came through on the right and Maresca tucked in the loose ball. With seven minutes left the same player was to break Boro completely, shooting into the far corner following a Kanoute knockdown.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Parnaby, Riggott, Southgate, Queudrue (Yakubu 70), Morrison (Maccarone 45), Rochemback, Boateng, Downing, Viduka (Cattermole 85), Hasselbaink. Subs not used: Jones, Ehiogu, Parlour, Bates. Booked: Rochemback.
SEVILLA: Palop, Alves, Javi Navarro, Escude, David, Navas, Marti, Maresca, Adriano Correia (Puerta 85), Luis Fabiano (Renato 73), Saviola (Kanoute 45). Subs not used: Notario, Aitor Ocio, Sales, Kepa. Booked: Daniel, Escude, Maresca. Goals: Luis Fabiano 26, Maresca 78, 84, Kanoute 89.
Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany).
