Udinese advance despite defeat

RC Lens failed to overturn a 3-0 first leg deficit as Udinese Calcio did enough to progress despite suffering a 1-0 reverse on the night at the Stade Félix-Bollaert.

Frau hope
Pierre-Alain Frau reignited Lens' UEFA Cup dream when he struck with 35 minutes remaining, but Francis Gillot's team failed to find the additional goals required to stay in the competition, after squandering a whole slew of chances, and as a result it is Udinese who will play PFC Levski Sofia in the Round of 16.

Lens dominance
Yet, the Serie A side failed to produce a solitary goalscoring chance in the 90 minutes, while opportunities arrived thick and fast for their French counterparts. Eric Carrière and Frau had early sights at goal, but Carrière shot too close to goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis and Frau fired wide.

Lacklustre finishing
Then Issam Jemaa forced De Sanctis to tip his 20-metre effort over the bar, and from the resulting corner the goalkeeper made a similar save from Jonathan Lacourt. Lens were doing all the attacking, though their finishing was not matching their build-up play.

Deadlock broken
The one-way trend continued after the break, though it seemed Lens were destined not to score. But that all changed ten minutes after the restart when Frau finished from close range. Lens tried to keep the momentum of the first hour going, and they might have gone 2-0 ahead had Lacourt’s 30-metre shot not been cleared for a corner by Valerio Bertotto.

Udinese prevail
From the corner, Frau almost grabbed his second when a right-footed shot was blocked by Cristian Zapata. Daniel Cousin headed another opportunity wide after a Carrière cross, and exhausted Lens - who had 22 shots to Udinese's zero - were soon out.