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Bolton are on the brink of qualifying for the last 32 of the UEFA Cup after a superb 1-0 victory over Crvena Zvezda. Gavin McCann's first goal for the club on the stroke of half-time was enough to send Gary Megson's side to the top of Group F. Tensions were high before the game, especially among the travelling Wanderers fans, all of which were detained by Serbian police in a Belgrade hospital throughout the day. The game started off on a slow note with both sides struggling to contend with the poor playing surface, but it was the hosts who had the first chance of the game. Nine minutes had passed when Nicky Hunt lost possession of the ball, but Nenad Milijas' effort was high over Ali Al-Habsi's crossbar. Crvena Zvezda were making the most of their spell of dominance and almost took the lead just two minutes later. Dejan Milovanovic's free-kick was expertly guided over the wall and sailed inches wide of the post with Al-Habsi beaten. Wanderers had their first real chance just after 20 minutes, with Christian Wilhelmsson meeting Nicky Hunt's free-kick, but the Swede's shot was cleared to safety. Former Portsmouth midfielder Ognjen Koroman tried a run at the Bolton defence soon after, but after deciding to shoot early, he hit his shot well wide of the target. Hunt found himself in a good position on the half-hour, but wth Stelios Giannakopoulos in a great position, the full-back opted to shoot instead of pass, dragging his effort wide, much to the displeasure of the Greek. Al-Habsi, who impressed against Bayern Munich earlier in the competition, showed by he could possibly be Jussi Jaaskelainen's long-term replacement moments after Hunt's miss. Joao Lucas' shot came through a body of players but the Oman international reacted quickly to parry the attempt to safety. Gary Speed beat his market in the 37th minute, meeting Andranik's corner but the Welshman flashed his shot wide, but the travelling Wanderers didn't have to wait much longer to open the scoring. Speed once again got on the end of an Andranik corner, with the ball sailing out to McCann who fired the ball first time past Ivan Randjelovic to give Bolton a deserved lead going into the break. Chances were few and far between after the interval, with neither side carving out many serious chances in the final third. Set-pieces from Andranik continued to threaten and Bolton should really have doubled their advantage on 52 minutes. The Iranian international picked out Stelios with pin-point accuracy, but the Greek's header was into the side netting. With just over ten minutes to go, Hunt received lengthly treatment off the field after appearing to land awkwardly on his ankle after clearing the ball from danger. However, the Westhoughton born defender picked himself up and managed to continue playing. Youngster James Sinclair replaced Daniel Braaten with three minutes of normal time to play, and the substitute found himself right in the thick of the action, beating three men before last-ditch defending prevented the 20-year-old from doubling the lead. But Wanderers held on to become the first British club to win in Belgrade and boost their hopes of qualifying for the last 32 of the competition. The final round of results next week will settle the final standings, with the possibility of four teams finishing on six points. For that scenario to occur, Bayern Munich and Aris Thessaloniki would have to draw in Munich and SC Braga would have to beat Crvena Zvezda in Portugal. Goal difference would then seperate the four clubs, with one unlucky side missing out. Wigan are next up for Bolton in a crucial Premier League game at the Reebok on Sunday, with Gary Megson expected to go back to naming a full strength squad. |
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