Leeds - 1 Metalurg Zaporizhya - 0The potential for embarrassment will follow Leeds into eastern Europe next month, but that did not conceal the sense of relief here last night. For long uneasy spells they played as though they were wearing straitjackets, only for a late and decisive contribution from Alan Smith to rescue them in a hugely disappointing match.
Rather than making the second leg a formality, Leeds will head for Zaporizhya, an industrial city on the banks of the Dnipro, for a test of nerve against the Ukrainian novices.
Metalurg, embarking on their first-ever European campaign, had arrived exuding a serious lack of self-belief, their bleak start to the season comprising only two wins from nine games and the sacking of the coach Oleg Taran, the man responsible for guiding them to their best-ever finish, fifth last season.
It was not overly-presumptuous, therefore, to expect Leeds to establish swift control, and for the fans in a far-from-full ground it will have come as a shock that their side toiled so ineffectively and with such little vigour.
In the opening exchanges Leeds seldom played to the tempo that Terry Venables would have wanted, their passing lacked its usual crisp edge, and there was a distinct lack of craft and guile in both midfield and attack.
Metalurg's policy was one of unashamed conservatism, rarely showing any signs of audacity in attack, but they still managed the first effort on target, courtesy of a shot from the midfielder Fabio Vasconcelos after 25 minutes. It was not long afterwards that a concerned Venables felt inclined to leave the directors' box and join the rest of his coaching staff in the dug-out.
For Venables, taking charge of his first European match since his days with Barcelona in 1987, it will have made distinctly uncomfortable viewing. Metalurg's reputation, for all their domestic troubles, is of a side whose strength is their defending and they eased to half-time with their goalkeeper Andrei Glushchenko not required to muddy his knees.
Alan Smith and Mark Viduka rarely combined with any effect while Lee Bowyer and Harry Kewell could not provide their usual penetration.
Leeds could hardly play so badly in the second half. Or could they? At least Smith seemed to appreciate the situation this might leave Leeds in for the second leg, and he chased down every ball. Ten minutes after the interval his header brought the first save out of Glushchenko, quickly followed by another from Ian Harte.
At least there was one note of satisfaction. Bridges, Leeds's leading scorer three seasons ago, emerged as a replacement for the ineffectual Viduka after nearly two years of injury problems, including damaging his knee ligaments getting out of the bath.
Indeed Bridges set up the face-saving winner. Chasing Gary Kelly's long ball into the area, he was clearly second favourite to Oleg Raty but he persevered and after he won the tussle, dragged the ball back from going out of play and slipped it across the six-yard area. Smith had anticipated the opening. With the goalkeeper exposed, the finish was a formality and Leeds could breathe a sigh of relief.
LEEDS: Robinson, Kelly, Radebe, Woodgate, Harte, Bakke, Dacourt (McPhail 65), Bowyer, Kewell, Smith, Viduka (Bridges 65). Subs Not Used: Martyn, Mills, Okon, Burns, McMaster. Booked: Dacourt. Goals: Smith 80.
METALURG ZAPORIZHYA: Glushchenko, Valuta, Raty, Klyuchyk, Visevic, Dodic, Vasconcelos, Milosavijevic, Smirnov (Zayats 90), Akopyan, Modebadze (Brdanin 59), Brdanin (Rodri 90). Subs Not Used: Zolna, Hansen, Lapko, Savinov. Booked: Glushchenko, Visevic.
Referee: M Vuorela (Finland).
