Steaua double holds Standard

After Milan Rapaić had revived R. Standard de Liège, the hosts were denied victory by Petre Marin's late equaliser which put FC Steaua Bucuresti in pole position for the return leg.

Bright start
Steaua made the better start to this UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie and, after only four minutes, Valentin Badea fired centimetres over from outside the area, while Sorin Paraschiv also went close. It came as little surprise then when the Romanian visitors went ahead on nine minutes through captain Paraschiv's diagonal strike from the edge of the area following an assist by Banel Nicolita. The home crowd came back to life, however, when Rapaić drove a 17th-minute free-kick from just outside the box over the wall and into the top corner.

Late leveller
Three minutes later Milan Jovanović almost put the Belgian club in front, but after rounding the goalkeeper he shot into the side-netting. Rapaić then saw a 33rd-minute volley pushed over by Carlos Alberto Fernandes as Standard pressed. Their insistence paid off six minutes into the second half as Rapaić scored again by converting a pass from skipper Eric Deflandre. Steaua's leveller came on 78 minutes when Marin saw his cross-cum-shot from outside the right angle of the area elude everybody to finish up in the bottom left-hand corner.