Panionios squander 'unique chance'

Panionios GSS coach Ewald Lienen said his side had wasted a "unique chance" to reach the UEFA Cup Round of 32 after losing to FC Girondins de Bordeaux in Group H last night.

Late drama
The Greek side had stormed into a two-goal lead in Athens through Rafik Djebbour and Grigorios Makos and were within touching distance of qualifying. However, after the French team drew level, an 87th-minute strike by Wielfried Moimbe – a 19-year-old introduced just six minutes earlier for his senior debut – gave an under-strength Bordeaux their fourth victory in as many group matches and sent Panionios crashing out of the competition.

Opportunity lost
A campaign which had started with a first-round triumph over FC Sochaux-Montbéliard ended at the hands of another French club, and Lienen was conscious of the lost opportunity. "We squandered a unique chance to qualify for the next round of the UEFA Cup," he said. "For most of the first half we were in total control but, even though we scored twice, we missed three or four opportunities to increase our lead.

Key moment
"The key moment of the game was in the 38th minute when Bennard Kumordzi had a chance to score our third goal but then Bordeaux broke to make it 2-1. We took charge again, yet couldn't create any more openings. It's a shame because we had the game in our grasp."

Added disappointment
A night that had begun so promisingly for the home fans turned sour. For Lienen, the disappointment was only compounded by events elsewhere: "In the end, even a draw would have been enough for us, as Galatasaray [AS] could only manage a draw against [FK] Austria Wien. It's a very difficult time for the squad, but we have to bounce back as soon as possible."

Bordeaux bliss
In the away camp, Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc was satisfied with his youngsters' performance. "After a bad start, my players were very good," he said of his charges, who had restored parity with goals from Fernando Cavenaghi and Benoît Tremoulinas. "Our youth-team coach should have elevated ambitions from now on. That's the life of a player. When you're young, you have to work hard to get anywhere."