Trapattoni rues one that got away

FC Salzburg coach Giovanni Trapattoni was left to rue a missed opportunity after his side failed to press home their advantage in a 1-0 victory against FC Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.

Aufhauser chance
Salzburg will travel to Ukraine in command of their UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie but they had the chance to put it out of Shakhtar's reach only for René Aufhauser, who scored four goals in the previous round, to head over. Alexander Zickler put Salzburg ahead with a tenth-minute penalty but the Austrian side then had to withstand a barrage of second-half pressure. "It was a very good match, both teams wanted to win," Trapattoni said. "Donetsk could have scored quite easily, especially in the second half. We were looking to attack on the break at that point, but unfortunately Aufhauser squandered our best chance right before the end."

'Tough task'
Both sides have spent heavily in a bid to reach the group stage and Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu was upset at the defensive play that led to Dmytro Chygrynskiy handling in the area to concede the early penalty. "The match was of high pace and quality," he said. "The goal we conceded was preceded by an unforgivable lapse that has given Salzburg some confidence. They pulled back deep into their own half afterwards, making it very difficult for us to get through. The return leg will be a tough task for us." There is no doubt about that, although Lucescu will hope to have big-money signing Nery Alberto Castillo, missing last night, fit enough to lead his attack on 29 August.