|
Easy
win
for
Roma
as
Vardar
fall
in
UEFA
Cup
News.ssport.net
(Sep
24,
2003)
-
AS
Roma
began
their
UEFA
Cup
campaign
in
confident
fashion,
recording
a
4-0
victory
against
FK
Vardar,
last
season's
champions
of
Macedonia
in
the
Stadio
Olimpico.
Roma
started
the
game
in
confident
mood,
with
Capello
feeling
secure
enough
to
rest
seven
players
who
started
the
top-of-the-table
Serie
A
game
with
Juventus
FC
last
Sunday.
Their
replacements
were
eager
to
make
their
mark
and
John
Carew
was
first
to
test
Vardar
goalkeeper
Gogo
Jovcev
with
a
header
from
a
Gaetano
D'Agostino
free-kick
in
the
fourth
minute.
The
first
goal
did
not
take
long
coming,
as
Greek
centre-back
Traianos
Dellas
was
left
unmarked
to
head
in
a
D'Agostino
corner
in
the
12th
minute.
The
goal
visibly
lifted
the
Serie
A
leaders,
who
then
began
to
dominate,
with
youngsters
D'Agostino
and
Daniele
De
Rossi
showing
off
their
skills
in
midfield.
Roma
were
2-0
ahead
eight
minutes
later
as
De
Rossi
beat
the
offside
trap,
timing
his
run
to
perfection
to
latch
on
to
a
through-ball
by
Dellas
and
spectacularly
lob
Jovcev,
who
was
left
completely
exposed.
Roma
were
largely
in
control
for
the
rest
of
the
first
period,
with
Carew
and
Dellas
again
both
going
close
with
headers,
while
Vardar
were
grateful
to
simply
gain
possession
to
relieve
the
constant
pressure.
Carew,
who
had
been
getting
progressively
more
frustrated
as
the
first
half
wore
on,
conceding
a
number
of
fouls,
added
a
third
nine
minutes
after
half-time,
reaching
another
D'Agostino
corner
ahead
of
goalkeeper
Jovcev
and
two
defenders
to
head
into
the
net.
Undeterred
by
the
three-goal
deficit,
the
away
side
continued
to
press
forward
and
created
their
first
genuine
chance
three
minutes
before
the
hour,
as
Brazilian
striker
Oliveira
Wandeir
Dos
Santos
met
defender
Nikola
Doševski's
cross
with
a
firm
header
but
could
not
direct
the
ball
on
target.
At
the
other
end,
Marco
Delvecchio,
Roma's
captain
for
the
night,
missed
three
presentable
chances
late
in
the
game,
but
eventually
found
the
net
with
the
last
kick
of
the
match,
converting
Romanian
international
Cristian
Chivu's
low
left-wing
cross
from
close
range.
Capello
was
pleased
with
the
way
his
players
had
performed.
"We
have
a
squad
of
20
players
and
when
I
change
the
team
around
they
don't
lower
our
technical
level,"
the
Roma
coach
said.
"There
is
a
very
good
spirit
in
the
team
at
the
moment.
Everyone
wants
to
play.
We
are
in
good
physical
and
psychological
shape.
As
for
De
Rossi,
he
showed
once
again
how
cool
he
is
when
he
gets
into
a
goalscoring
position."
The
return
leg
is
in
Skopje,
home
of
Vardar,
in
three
week's
time.
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