Tel-Aviv triumph in Russia
Tuesday, December 4, 2001
Article summary
Milan Osterc's goal gave Hapoel Tel-Aviv a 1-0 win against FC Lokomotiv Moscow in their UEFA Cup third round tie and a 3-1 victory on aggregate.
Article body
A second-half strike by Milan Osterc gave Hapoel Tel-Aviv a hard-earned 1-0 away win against FC Lokomotiv Moscow in the second leg of their UEFA Cup third round tie on Tuesday and a 3-1 victory on aggregate.
Osterc on target
The Slovenian international forward, who also scored in the first leg in Tel-Aviv two weeks ago, beat Lokomotiv goalkeeper Ruslan Nigmatullin with a low shot from the edge of the box three minutes after half-time. The visitors continue to confound their critics and have already disposed of Turkey's Gaziantepspor and England's Chelsea FC in the two previous rounds.
Late pressure
Lokomotiv, in the UEFA Cup after finishing third in their UEFA Champions League group , piled on the pressure in the final 30 minutes as snow started to fall, but the Israeli side held on to claim a memorable victory.
Major reconstruction
Russian international Marat Izmailov wasted Lokomotiv's best and last chance, when he shot over the bar from six metres after a Maksim Buznikin cross five minutes from time. The hosts were forced to play the match in Ramenskoye, a small town 40km southeast of Moscow, as their stadium is undergoing major reconstruction.
