Sport

Vieri gives Inter a slender advantage

Inter Milan - 1 Valencia - 0 A 14th minute goal from Christian Vieri gave Inter Milan a slender lead to take to Valencia in …

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Thu Apr 10 2003 - 01:00

Inter Milan - 1 Valencia - 0 A 14th minute goal from Christian Vieri gave Inter Milan a slender lead to take to Valencia in a fortnight

Both teams were forced to play for over half an hour with 10 men after Valencia's David Albelda and Inter's Belozoglu Emre were sent off after an ugly clash.

It was no coincidence that Valencia enjoyed most of the possession in the final half hour as the red cards robbed Inter of their most influential figure in Emre. He set up a chance for Vieri in the 11th minute, which the striker blasted straight at Valencia goalkeeper Santiago Canizares, and then had a hand in the goal. Running on to a pass from Francesco Coco, Emre broke to the byline and Hernan Crespo flicked his cross into the path of Vieri, whose diving header flew past Canizares.

Valencia might have equalised in the 38th minute when Albelda's low shot forced Inter goalkeeper Francesco Toldo into a full stretch save.

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What had been a surprisingly low key game turned nasty in the 57th minute when, in an off-the-ball incident, Albelda kicked Emre and the Turk reacted angrily, confronting the Spaniard and attempting to head-butt him.

After a scuffle involving at least 10 players, German referee Markus Merk dismissed the pair.

The San Siro crowd rained plastic bottles and fruit from the stands towards Albelda as he headed for the tunnel, but the mood on the pitch was calmer.

Francisco Rafete fired a shot just wide of Toldo's post and then Pablo Aimar jinked into the penalty area before firing a low shot that the Inter goalkeeper saved.

There was more controversy at the end when Aimar went down inside the area under a challenge from Okan Buruk but Merk ruled that the Argentinian had dived and gave him a yellow card.

INTER MILAN: Toldo, Coco (Pasquale 30), Materazzi, Cordoba, Javier Zanetti, Emre, Cristiano Zanetti, Sergio Conceicao (Okan 64), Di Biagio, Crespo (Cannavaro 83), Vieri. Subs Not Used: Fontana, Adani, Recoba, Martins. Sent Off: Emre (56). Booked: Cristiano Zanetti, Pasquale. Goal: Vieri 14.

VALENCIA: Canizares, Ayala, Marchena, Carboni, Reveillere, Albelda, Baraja, Vicente (Aurelio 83), Rufete (Mista 79), Aimar, Carew (Angulo 20). Subs Not Used: Palop, Djukic, De los Santos, Sanchez. Sent Off: Albelda (56). Booked: Rufete, Aimar.

Referee: Markus Merk (Germany).