Sevilla - Urziceni - 2009

Luis Fabiano and Renato scored to give Sevilla a 2-0 win over Champions League debutant Unirea on Wednesday. Striker Luis Fabiano fired a low shot home on the stroke of halftime of the Group G game at Ramon Sanchez de Pizjuan Stadium after Renato crossed following a gallop down the left wing. The home team doubled its lead in the 70th when Luís Fabiano headed on substitute Diego Perotti's corner, allowing midfielder Renato to nod past goalkeeper Giedrius Arlauskis from close range. Unirea won their first Romanian league title in June, just three years after reaching the top flight, but showed no sign of inexperience as they kept Sevilla's attack at bay until the final moments of the first half. Sevilla, 2006 and '07 Uefa Cup champions, only came close in the eighth minute when Frederic Kanouté's deflected shot flew narrowly wide and in the 27th when Luís Fabiano's free kick was pushed away for a corner by diving Arlauskis. However, the visitors also resorted to some fierce play with midfielders Ersin Mehmedovic and Sorin Frunza, together with defenders Vasile Maftei, all receiving yellow cards in the opening half-hour. Unirea's coach Dan Petrescu then aired his protests to the fourth official in the 33rd after Frunza was left writhing on the ground following an off-the-ball elbow by Sevilla defender Sebastien Squillaci. Unirea, whose 17,.000 population makes it the smallest town to appear in this season's Champions League, came closest to scoring in the 13th minute when midfielder Iulian Apostol's long-range shot missed the target by just a metre. Sevilla wasted an early chance in the second half when left winger Diego Capel blazed over the Unirea bar after intricate approach work by his teammates in the 52nd minute. With his team appearing to lose steam, Sevilla coach Manolo Jiménez replaced Kanouté with the club's recent signing from Real Madrid, Alvaro Negredo, in the 63rd. Negredo made an early impact with a goalbound shot from outside the area four minutes later which Arlauskis just managed to turn past his left post. Sevilla's second goal appeared to end Unirea's resistance and the home team pushed forward in the final stages in search of further goals, with Renato hitting the post in the 86th minute.

Dan Petrescu, coach of Unirea Urziceni: "I have played at this stage and I've faced a lot of strikers, but it's a long time since I've seen one do what Luis Fabiano does. With him Sevilla won so many games. I don't want to take away from other strikers, but he eclipses them all. We suffered because we don't have experience in this kind of competition and my players were overwhelmed by the importance of the match. I think that psychological moment of the match was in additional time of first half, when we received the first goal".