Cúper breathes sigh of relief

By Kevin Ashby

After relinquishing a 3-1 advantage against AS Roma on Sunday, Internazionale FC were much criticised for their inability to defend leads in crucial matches. Following Christian Vieri's 14th-minute goal against Valencia CF tonight, Héctor Cúper's side proved that they had learned their lesson by shutting out the silky Spaniards in the first leg of this UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie.

Defending in depth
"I am not completely satisfied with the display but we won and that is what counts," said Cúper, who admitted his side adopted defensive ‘catenaccio’ tactics for the final 33 minutes after Emre Belözoglu was dismissed along with David Albelda. Valencia coach Rafael Benítez said of Inter's approach: "They did what they had to do, they took the lead and defended it."

Materazzi included
Perhaps in view of Saturday's critical derby against AC Milan, and the aerial threat of John Carew, Cúper elected to partner Iván Córdoba with Marco Materazzi rather than Fabio Cannavaro in central defence. More surprising, though, was fit-again Hernán Crespo's inclusion in attack, making his first start since facing Modena FC on 12 January.

Attacking adventure
For a man often accused of lacking attacking adventure, Cúper could not contain his delight when his calculated gamble paid off inside the quarter-hour. Emre broke down the left and sent in a teasing cross which Crespo flicked on for Vieri to head his second goal of the competition. "Vieri was our best player," said Cúper. "He performed brilliantly and ran tirelessly. His goal means that I will be able to think positively ahead of the return match."

Without fault
The goal came from the first real chance of a half in which both sides played attacking football; Inter on the counter, Valencia with their customary patience. Pablo Aimar was pivotal in the visitors' best moves and his pass to Carew, which the Norwegian drilled wide - the second of three wasted half-chances - was the pick of an opening 45 minutes in which Córdoba, Materazzi and Javier Zanetti were without fault. The left-back, Francesco Coco, also impressed before being carried off in the 29th minute.

Unexpected twist
A game that had been played in a credible spirit took an unexpected twist in the 57th minute when Emre and Albelda were dismissed. The Turkish winger was angered by an Albelda challenge and knocked his opponent to the ground with his chest. After the ensuing melée, involving every player bar Albelda, the duo were sent off by Markus Merk. "It means we will play more offensively in the second leg," said Benítez of the loss of his midfield anchor.

Missed opportunities
The reduced numbers brought an increase in space but not in thought and no one quite had the guile to exploit it. Indeed it was from a set-piece that Inter almost added to their score, Córdoba flicking a corner from substitute Okan Buruk marginally wide in the 83rd minute. After clearing their lines, Valencia then created an opportunity, but the freshly introduced Mista headed Aimar's cross over when well-placed.

Benitez confident
In the final moments, Aimar was booked for simulating a foul, an act born of frustration. Yet his coach retained hope that Valencia would advance following the second leg in a fortnight. "We played really well," said Benítez. "We did everything better than Inter, except score. We created many opportunities to score and the team proved they have the ability to reach the semi-finals. We need a little luck but I am optimistic that our supporters at the Mestalla will help push us through." It promises to be another fascinating night.