Southampton have crashed out of the UEFA Cup after losing 1-0 to Steau Bucharest in Romania tonight. The Saints missed a host of chances as they saw their return to Europe after a 19-year absence end at the first hurdle in a 2-1 aggregate defeat.
Kevin Phillips, Southampton's scorer in the first leg, went from hero to villain as he missed a great one-on-one chance. And, after Rory Delap completely missed his kick from six yards out, Claudiu Raducanu struck eight minutes from time to send Gordon Strachan's men out.
Steaua's 25,000-strong home support created an intensely-hostile backdrop for Saints and their 2,000 fans in the archaic Ghencea Stadium. The visitors were subjected to crescendos of boos and whistles at regular intervals.
But Strachan's men coped with the atmosphere formed by the Romanian league leaders' passionate fans and were only let down by their own finishing.
Filed by Johnny Proby
