Bodipo strikes to oust Nancy

Second-half substitute Rodolfo Bodipo scored the winner 16 minutes from time to secure RC Deportivo Coruña second place in UEFA Cup Group H and eliminate AS Nancy-Lorraine from the competition.

Missing out
With KKS Lech Poznań winning at bottom club Feyenoord, Deportivo were poised to bow out of Europe until Bodipo, who had only been on the field for nine minutes, struck the vital goal. The striker turned in a cross by Omar Bravo at the near post to rescue the Spanish Liga side and break the hearts of the French visitors, who would have progressed to the Round of 32 with a draw.

On the break
As expected, the Lorraine club relied on the counterattack and posed the hosts a number of problems, especially in the first half. A low free kick on four minutes from fully 40 metres by Pascal Berenguer surprised Deportivo goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia, who was just able to turn the ball aside, while lone frontman Monsef Zerka later headed over.

Zerka miss
Just before half-time, Nancy's Youssouf Hadji drove a shot wide seconds before Deportivo’s Angel Lafita first mis-hit a shot off target before glancing a header wide a few moments later. It was the visitors who fashioned the first chance of the second period too but Zerka, one-on-one with Aranzubia, was too elaborate and his shot with the outside of his foot went wide.

Decisive blow
Pablo Correa's men were having some success on the break and following some good work by Issiar Dia, Hadji sidefooted over from a good position. At the other end, goalkeeper Gennaro Bracigliano did well to tip aside a Lafita effort after the midfielder waltzed through a number of attempted Nancy tackles but it was Bodipo who landed the killer blow in the 74th minute when he turned in Bravo’s delivery. Bracigliano defied Juan Rodríguez with ten minutes remaining but it proved irrelevant as the Galician side were celebrating a place in Friday’s draw soon after.