Fuente : UEFA (English)
http://www.uefa.com/

Intertoto Cup: Cluj wings clipped at final hurdle

/noticias.info/ Goals from Vitorino Hilton, Adama Coulibaly and Daniel Cousin helped RC Lens put an end to CFR Cluj's fantastic UEFA Intertoto Cup run and book a place in the UEFA Cup.

French success
Cluj had held the Ligue 1 side to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of this Intertoto Cup final but, despite having seen off Athletic Club Bilbao and AS Saint-Etienne in the competition's earlier rounds, could only muster a single goal from player-coach Dorinel Munteanu once they found themselves three goals down.

Dindane chances
Missing suspended captain Jérôme Leroy, Lens coach Francis Gillot put out a classic eleven, although surprised a few fans in the sold-out stadium by deploying full-back Benoît Assou-Ekotto on the left wing. But the tactic almost paid off when he twice fed Aruna Dindane - but the striker failed to connect on ten minutes and shot over eight minutes before the break.

Quick reactions
By then, Jussiê had twice been denied by Cluj goalkeeper Martin Tudor and it was the Brazilian who set up the opening goal on 39 minutes, Jussiê's free-kick headed in by compatriot Hilton. Dindane hit the post on the hour as Lens continued to dominate and the killer second goal duly arrived on 75 minutes, Coulibaly the first to react to a loose ball from close range.

Cousin penalty
Two minutes later, Lens striker Cousin was floored in the box and dusted himself down to score from the penalty spot. Leading comfortably, Lens sat back and Munteanu's consolation from beautiful free-kick did not change the outcome. notas_de_prensa_archivo