Steaua stun Saints

Photos from the Uefa Cup

Steaua 1-0 Southampton
(Steaua win 2-1 on aggregate)

Southampton crashed out of the Uefa Cup at the first hurdle after Claudiu Raducanu struck late on to seal victory for Steaua.

The Saints needed to score to go through after the first leg at St Mary's ended 1-1, and Kevin Phillips and Rory Delap went close as they tried to find the breakthrough.

But it was the home side who found the net against the run of play, as Raducanu latched onto a Florentin Dumitru cross to put the tie beyond doubt with eight minutes left.

It appeared as though the Saints were in for a tough evening after the Steaua supporters greeted their arrival onto the pitch with a crescendo of boos and whistles at the Ghencea Stadium.

But Gordon Strachan's men began better than their Romanian counterparts, and Fabrice Fernandes showed their intent by cutting in from the left and testing Vasili Hamutovski with a low drive.

KEY MOMENTS 42 mins: Phillips is denied by a brilliant Hamutovski save 82 mins: Raducanu ends Saints' Uefa Cup hopes by slotting home the winner

On the half hour mark Jason Dodd picked out Phillips in the box, but the former Sunderland striker could only direct his header over the bar.

The visitors really should have gone into the break with the lead their endeavour deserved, but Phillips was denied by a brilliant save from Hamutovski after Fernandes had put him clean through on goal.

It was more of the same in the second period as the Saints laid seige to the home side's goal. James Beattie headed a Danny Higginbotham centre back across goal but Delap failed to make contact by a matter of inches.

Then Anders Svensson hit a right-foot shot from 25 yards that flew past Hamutovski's left-hand post.

As Southampton began to tire the Romanians stepped up their chase for a killer goal, Raducanu forcing a good save from Antti Niemi from a corner.

Then Dumitru cut in from the right and drove a shot which narrowly evaded Niemi's goal.

As the game swung from end to end, Michael Svensson powered a header wide of Hamutovski's right-hand post before Paul Telfer crashed a long-range volley just wide from the edge of the penalty area.

But it was not to be for Southampton and Raducanu dashed their hopes of progress when he converted Dumitru's dangerous cross from the right.

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Steaua Bucharest: Hamutovski, Dumitru, Rachita, Paraschiv, Radoi, Stoica, Aliuta, Bostina, Raducanu, Oprita, Mutica. Subs: Tudor, Curt, Pitu, Falemi, Ogararu, Nanu, Dinita.

Southampton: Niemi, Dodd, Lundekvam, Phillips, Beattie, Michael Svensson, Anders Svensson, Delap, Higginbotham, Fernandes, Telfer. Subs: Jones, Hall, Prutton, Tessem, Griffit, Folly, Ormerod.

Referee: Stefan Johannesson (Sweden).