Farul fall to confident Auxerre

AJ Auxerre are on the verge of UEFA Cup qualification after a comfortable 4-1 first-leg win against FC Farul Constanta in the UEFA Intertoto Cup third round. The French side last won the competition in 1997 and look set for a repeat after two goals in each half at the Stade Abbé Deschamps.

Incisive breakaway
The Romanian side had beaten FK Podeba and FC Lokomotiv Plovdiv 1936 to reach the third round but will have to raise their game to turn the tie around and stay in European competition. Last season's sixth-placed Ligue 1 team endured an early scare when Iulian Apostol hit the post from long range in the fifth minute, but they soon found their stride and were in front seconds later when an incisive break saw Danish Under-21 midfielder Thomas Kahlenberg find Lionel Mathis, who finished coolly.

Kaboul error
It was 2-0 on ten minutes, when Bacary Sagna crossed accurately from the right side and Luigi Pieroni did the rest. To their credit, Farul continued to plug away and pulled one back through Mihai Gurita after Auxerre defender Younes Kaboul missed a tackle, showing some ring-rust in his first competitive match of the season.

Traoré goal
Farul's Congolese striker Armel Mamouna provided some more uncertain moments for the French club's back line, but he was outshone by Auxerre's Thomas Kahlenberg, who added to his earlier decisive pass by scoring a marvellous free-kick ten minutes into the second half. Twelve minutes from time, 17-year-old Alain Traoré came off the bench to score his first professional goal and round off a successful evening for Auxerre.