Sport

Nonda gives Rovers a fighting chance

UEFA Cup Bayer Leverkusen 3 Blackburn Rovers 2 Shabani Nonda stepped off the bench ath the BayArena last night to keep Blackburn…

Thu Feb 15 2007 - 00:00

UEFA Cup Bayer Leverkusen 3 Blackburn Rovers 2Shabani Nonda stepped off the bench ath the BayArena last night to keep Blackburn's Uefa Cup dream alive.

The striker - on loan from Roma - scored his side's second goal of the game three minutes from time to give Blackburn a fighting chance of progressing when the second leg is staged at Ewood Park next week. With David Bentley also finding the target, those away goals could prove vital.

Yet, Blackburn were remarkably vulnerable considering they had gone into this first leg game in the round of 32 with a six-match unbeaten run in the competition.

Blackburn were left stunned in the 18th minute when Leverkusen made the breakthrough. Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker ghosted in at the far post to head home following a free-kick from Bernd Schneider.

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Blackburn equalised in the 38th minute when Stephen Warnock played a short free-kick to Bentley 25 yards out. He rattled in a powerful shot that took a deflection of Carsten Ramelow to leave Jorg Butt stranded.

However, Leverkusen regained the lead in the 43rd minute when Ramelow's effort came off the chest of Ryan Nelsen with goalkeeper Brad Friedel out of position.

And the home side went 3-1 ahead in the 56th minute when a clever back heel from Schneider went beyond Friedel after Gonzalo Castro had played him in.

Blackburn almost conceded a fourth in the 80th minute, but Friedel did well to block Stefan Kiessling's effort from close range. Then Nonda threw Blackburn a lifeline with three minutes to go when he rifled a shot home via the underside of the bar.

"We started very well," said Bentley. "We had a lot of chances, but we didn't take them and at this level you have to take them. Nonda's goal has kept us in the game. It was a great finish."

BAYER LEVERKUSEN: Butt, Haggui, Callsen-Bracker, Rolfes, Castro, Schneider, Barbarez, Ramelow, Babic, Voronin, Kiessling (Freier 85). Subs not used: Fernandez, Stenman, Barnetta, Athirson, Papadopulos, Camdali. Booked: Barbarez. Goals: Callsen-Bracker 18, Ramelow 43, Schneider 56.

BLACKBURN ROVERS: Friedel, Warnock, Mokoena (Todd 90), Henchoz, Nelsen, Bentley, Kerimoglu, Dunn (Peter 65), Emerton, Roberts (Nonda 69), McCarthy. Subs not used: Enckelman, Khizanishvili, Jeffers, Gallagher. Booked: Mokoena. Goals: Bentley 39, Nonda 86.

Referee: Pieter Vink (Holland).