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  -   REPORTS   -   UEFA Cup
Thursday, April 11, 2002
Feyenoord hold Inter Milan to reach UEFA Cup final
Soccernet.com

ROTTERDAM, April 11 (Reuters) - Feyenoord reached the UEFA Cup final after a 2-2 draw with Inter Milan on Thursday was good enough to take them through 3-2 on aggregate.

Pierre van Hooijdonk opened the scoring after 16 minutes and John Dahl Tomasson doubled the lead on 34 minutes as Feyenoord dominated the first half against the Italian league leaders.

Six minutes from time, Cristiano Zanetti got one back for the visitors and Mohamed Kallon then levelled from the penalty spot on the stroke of full-time but it was too late.

Feyenoord, who had won the first leg 1-0 in Milan, will face Borussia Dortmund on their home ground in the final on May 8.

Inter coach Hector Cuper made seven changes from the first leg but did not field the club's top-scorer Christian Vieri, and started with strikers Ronaldo and Nicola Ventola.

EARLY SUCCESS

The pair were close to early success in the fourth minute when Ventola narrowly failed to convert a Ronaldo cross.

Feyenoord slowly took control of the match and in the 16th minute Robin van Persie clipped in from the left to find Van Hooijdonk who netted from close range.

After taking the lead, Inter started to push forward, but in the 34th minute they were caught on the break when Bonaventure Kalou was sent deep with Dahl Tomasson free on his left side.

Kalou's first attempt cannoned off goalkeeper Francesco Toldo into the path of Tomasson to score Feyenoord's second.

For most of the second half Feyenoord kept firmly in control winning most of the midfield battles.

But at the end of the match the Rotterdam side ran out of steam and Zanetti headed home a corner in the 84th minute -- the first ever goal for an Italian side at Feyenoord.

Feyenoord's nerves were then put on edge in injury time when Leonardo dos Santos fouled Emre and Spanish referee Antionio Lopez Nieto awarded the visitors a penalty which Kallon coolly put past Edwin Zoetebier.

The final seconds of the match were nerve-wracking for the fans of the home side, especially when Ventola broke away on the left, but his cross ended behind the Feyenoord goal.

'At the end of the match we were tired and could not hold the ball in the team, that gave Inter the chance to come back,' Van Hooijdonk said. 'But we have done something fantastic.'

'Over 180 minutes of soccer I think Inter were the best side,' losing coach Cuper said, adding that Inter could leave Rotterdam with their heads up.

Feyenoord coach Bert van Marwijk said: 'After Inter scored their first goal I was worried that it could go wrong after all.'

Feyenoord last won the UEFA Cup in 1974 when they beat English premier league Tottenham Hotspur over two legs.

Midfielder Brett Emerton will watch the final from the stands as he collected his second yellow card of the tournament and will be suspended.

 

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