UEFA Cup: Two Wins, Two Draws (Just Pretend You Care)

By: Martha | September 21st, 2007

Oh, Bobo. Empoli opened their first-ever European adventure in fantastic fashion, beating FC Zurich (Not to be confused with that other Zurich team, the dreaded Grasshoppers.) 2-1 at home, with an almost entirely second-choice team. Woo hoo! Reports indicated Empoli’s youngsters thoroughly dominated the game, and that the win was well-deserved. Palermo also managed a win, narrowly defeating Czech side Mlada Boleslav on an injury-time winner by Bosko Jankovic (BOSKO!). The goal was Jankovic’s first for the club and not only secured the win but also put Palermo an away goal up going into the home leg in a few weeks, so the Sicilians are well-positioned to move on — this despite apparently not playing particularly well, and allowing the Czechs to dominate possession. Bygones.

Ending the day with only a point, meanwhile, were Fiorentina and Sampdoira. Christian Vieri got his first start for his new club in a strong Viola side, and was a constant presence in Groningen’s box (that’s what she said) during the first half, forcing one save and coming tantalizingly close to several crosses. Despite his efforts, Fiorentina went down a goal at the half-hour mark, but new signing Franco Semioli — who has been noticeably lively for the Viola since recovering from an early injury — brought them level on the 65th minute, and the Viola head home with a crucial away goal in their proverbial pockets. For their part, Samp gave up two away goals in drawing with Danish side Aalborg, and will face a challenging road match in the return leg. Gennaro Delvecchio put them ahead early but the Genoese club gave up the equalizer less than a minute later, and fell behind shortly after the break on a deflected shot. The addition of Vincenzo Montella on the hour mark woke up the hosts and quickly drew them level, but despite constant pressure Samp weren’t able to go ahead and had to settle for the draw.

The return legs will all be played October 4, once again sitting comfortably in the shadow of a Champions League matchday. Who thinks this schedule is a good idea, exactly?