Roux laments missed chances

By Matthew Spiro in Auxerre

AJ Auxerre coach Guy Roux claimed that his team's chances of progressing in the UEFA Cup are "no better than two in ten" after they were held to a 1-1 draw by PSV Eindhoven in the fourth round first leg at the Stade de l'Abbé Deschamps on Thursday.

Hopes fading
Roux struggled to hide his disappointment after seeing the French side dominate their Dutch opponents for long periods before conceding a morale-sapping equaliser late in the game. "It's not a good result for us and it means we are really up against it in the second leg," said the veteran coach. "We have to go to Eindhoven and win or at least get a scoring draw. I'm sure the journalists will give you the statistics of how many clubs qualify after a 1-1 home draw, but in my view we have about a two in ten chance."

Missed chances
Everything was going smoothly for Auxerre when Finnish midfield player Teemu Tainio gave them the lead with a rasping volley on 35 minutes, but they missed a number of opportunities to extend their advantage, with Djibril Cissé the main culprit. "We played very well in passages but just weren't able to turn pressure into goals," Roux lamented. "It wasn't Djibril's night but hopefully it will be in the Netherlands."

Gamble rewarded
The game's turning point came 19 minutes from time when Theo Lucius levelled for PSV against the run of play. The
27-year-old winger headed in from close range after Fabien Cool had parried Young-Pyo Lee's free kick. He told uefa.com: "I noticed that the Auxerre defenders weren't covering the space in front of the goalkeeper so I moved into that space just in case the ball rebounded. Nine times out of ten it would have been a waste of time, but in football if you take a gamble you sometimes get rewarded."

Hiddink delight
PSV coach Guus Hiddink was delighted with the result and acknowledged that the scoreline flattered his side. "Tonight we saw what Auxerre are all about," he declared. "They counterattack with fantastic pace and they caused us real problems. If Cissé had converted the great chance he had to make it 2-0 then it might have been a different story. Overall I am extremely satisfied and, while we will have to be totally concentrated in the second leg, I am confident we can go through."