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www.red11.org DAILY NEWS
Date: Sat Nov 07  GMT+00:00 1998
Mail: barry@www.red11.org

This Issue:
1. Singing Danes in the cold night air
2. Pancho Pearson
3. NEW DEAL AWAITS IRWIN
4. BAYERN SET UP UNITED DECIDER 
5. United go for the jackpot 
6. Keane: We're better than Double winners
7. PETER SCHMEICHEL PEN
8. Could be the future? "Yossi Benayoun, Haifa' 18-year-old wunderkind

++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++

Daily RED Trivia  Sat 7th November:

7/11/1925: United win 3-1 at Everton in a Division 1 game watched by 12,387. Frank
McPherson, Charlie Rennox and Joe Spence scored for the Reds. Team was:
Steward, Moore, Silcock, Hilditch, Haslam, Mann, Spence, Smith, McPherson,
Rennox, Thomas.

7/11/1986: Charlie McGillivray died. McGillivray was signed from Glasgow Celtic and
made his debut at Plymouth Argyle in August 1933. A fast and tricky Wingman, he
appeared in 9 games between 1933-34 before moving to Motherwell in April 1934. 

************

Barry Daily Comment:  

"Singing Danes in the cold night air" fantastic Our Salfprd Lass
personal report today, highly recommended!
Another personal report from Mark Armstrong is called: Pancho Pearson
No game until Sunday, OT and the Toon army.

SAT 7th
         Aston Villa  v  Tottenham Hotspur
    Blackburn Rovers  v  Coventry City
   Charlton Athletic  v  Leicester City
           Liverpool  v  Derby County
   Nottingham Forest  v  Wimbledon
         Southampton  v  Middlesbrough

SUN 8th
             Arsenal  v  Everton
        Leeds United  v  Sheffield Wednesday
   Manchester United  v  Newcastle United
     West Ham United  v  Chelsea
_____________________________________________

Next 5 games: 
Result/Fixture Index:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/fix9899z.htm

Sun  8/11 Newcastle   (H) PL
Wed 11/11 Nott Forest (H) LC 
Sat 14/11 Blackburn   (H) PL
Sat 21/11 Sheff Wed   (A) PL15.00
Wed 25/11 Barcelona   (A) CL 19.45



UNITED Stats v Newcastle:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/stats/vsnewcastle.htm 

*** TEAM RESULTS - MANCHESTER UNITED  ***

Date        Opposition                        Score   Pos.   Attend.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
15/08/98    Leicester City           Home     D  2-2    11    55,052
22/08/98    West Ham United          Away     D  0-0    11    26,039
09/09/98    Charlton Athletic        Home     W  4-1     9    55,147
12/09/98    Coventry City            Home     W  2-0     5    55,193
20/09/98    Arsenal                  Away     L  0-3    10    38,142
24/09/98    Liverpool                Home     W  2-0     3    55,181
03/10/98    Southampton              Away     W  3-0     2    15,251
17/10/98    Wimbledon                Home     W  5-1     2    55,265
24/10/98    Derby County             Away     D  1-1     2    30,867
31/10/98    Everton                  Away     W  4-1     2    40,079

    
Table/Results 4/11:

Sep 16 Brøndby         2-1 Bayern München
Sep 16 Man Utd         3-3 Barcelona
Sep 30 Barcelona       2-0 Brøndby
Sep 30 Bayern Munich   2-2 Man Utd
Oct 21 Brøndby         2-6 Man Utd
Oct 21 Bayern Munich   1-0 Barcelona 

**Nov  4 Barcelona 1-2 Bayern Munich 
**Nov  4 Man Utd   5-0 Brøndby

Group D         P  W  D  L  F  A   Pts
Man United      4  2  2  0 16  7   8   
Bayern Munich   4  2  1  1  6  5   7  
Barcelona       4  1  1  2  6  6   4   
Brondby         4  1  0  3  4 14   3   

To be played:
 Nov 25 Barcelona        v  Man Utd
 Nov 25 Bayern Munich    v  Brøndby
 Dec  9 Brøndby          v  Barcelona   
 Dec  9 Man Utd          v  Bayern Munich

++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++


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Date: Thu, 05 Nov 1998 
Subject:  Singing Danes in the cold night air
       Personal match report by Our Salford Lass

A couple of days ago, I had an email from a certain list member in Oz,
bemoaning the tropical paradise in which he has the misfortune to live.  I
was thinking about this as I walked through the streets of Ordsall on my
way to meet up with a small group of retrobates somewhere behind the
Copthorne hotel.  The temperature had plummeted down to zero the night
before, it had been snowing all morning and as I walked I could see my
breath in the frosty air.  At least it wasn't raining (yet!).  Eventually,
I found the meeting place (not an easy task, as the "skinhead from
Leamington" hadn't bothered to tell me the pub had changed its name!) and
thankfully sat down to defrost.  The company and the conversation were
stimulating and time passed quickly.  Soon it was time to head off back out
into the cold and towards the stadium.  Before we could leave, however, we
had to rescue Nigel from the grip of one of the (male) list members who
seemed to want to kiss him for some strange reason!  What was that about
packets of sweets and cheeky smiles?!  Or was that packets of sausages??

Walking the short distance to OT, the air crackled with the excitement of a
European night.  The lights on the North Stand lit up the sky for miles
around, the touts were trying desperately to sell tickets which they seemed
to have by the hundreds and the forecourt was covered in very large, very
drunken Danes in bright yellow shirts.  The son-and-heir had appeared on
the way and we said our goodbyes and headed off through the turnstyles and
into East Lower.  As we waited for the game to start, we played
dodge-the-ball, as the very poor Brondby strikers sprayed the ball all over
East Stand whilst having shooting practice!  

Up in their corner, the Danes were having a party.  The party continued for
the whole game, as the Brondby fans seemed oblivious to what was actually
happening on the pitch.  They waved their scarves, sang their songs and
jumped up and down for 90 minutes!  They even managed to insult us - in
English!!  We stood throughout the whole game - although the stewards were
making nuisances of themselves for the first 10 minutes or so, they then
disappeared and were not seen again.  Funny how its dangerous to stand in
Premiership games but not on European nights!  The one difference I did
notice was that everyone stayed in a good mood.  There was no grumbling, no
aggro, just fans having a good time and getting behind the team.  Mind you,
the way United played helped enormously!  Within 7 minutes, Becks had
scored another of his trademark free kicks and within 13 minutes Blomqvist
had fought off the attentions of two Danish defenders, passed into the box
towards Cole who let the ball through to Yorke.  Yorke passed it back to
Cole who dummied the keeper and with a wonderful finish from an almost
impossible angle scored one of the best goals I've ever had the pleasure of
witnessing at OT.  At this point I felt a little sorry for the Brondby
keeper, picking the ball out of the net for the second time he smiled at us
ruefully as if to say "be kind to me, I don't think its going to be my
night!".

The football in the first half just got better and better, with United
sweeping downfield over and over again and Cole and Yorke looking like
they'd been playing together for years.  Then Phil Neville appeared in the
penalty area and calmly scored his first goal at OT.  He pranced across in
front of us looking like he'd won the lottery as OT rose in celebration.
From then on United gave a masterclass in football and we sang all the old
favourites.  Soon after, the first half lesson was complete as Blomqvist
picked up the ball deep in our half of the pitch and beat 3 or 4 Brondby
players on a weaving run towards us.  He arrived on level with the box,
crossed to Becks who crossed to Yorke and we were 4 up!  4-0 at half-time
in a European game, this is what dreams are made of!

Whilst all this was going on, the Danish fans were singing away annoyingly
in the corner - annoying because it was the same bloody song, over and over
again.  I think it was Danish for "We love you Brondby" but who knows.
What I do know is that it drove us almost as batty as the Sheffield
Wednesday band!  Eventually some of the lads in the corner closest to them
started to sing "Lets all shit on Brondby" to the same tune and this was
taken up by most of East Stand.  This was soon followed by "It's like
watching City" and "Are you City in disguise?"  The Danes rose to the
challenge and began to insult us in our own language!  "Do you come from
Manchester?" and "Stand up if you hate Man U" were greeted with a round of
applause from the United fans, if only for the effort they had made in
learning chants in English!

The second half brought some changes on the pitch (Blomqvist went off, as
did Andy Cole being replaced by Cruyff and Ole) and a quietening in the
atmosphere in the United section of the ground (the Danes seemed to have
got a second wind, as they out-sang us with their "one song").  I suppose
it was all a little too easy really, which made it difficult to maintain a
European atmosphere.  It livened up a little for a chorus of "Oh Ah
Cantona" and "If you all hate scousers" and Scholesy getting in on the act
by scoring a superb solo goal helped raise the temperature for a while, but
the last twenty minutes of the game were spent watching Jordi return to his
form of earlier in the season (tripping over nothing and chickening out  of
every confrontation with a Brondby player) and jumping up and down trying
to keep warm.  There was a brief flurry of chanting when Brondby had their
one decent shot at goal - "Arsenal reject" at Jensen - and a surreal moment
when the Brondby fans started chanting "Who's the wanker in the black" at
the referee, in Danish accents!  The best moment, however,  was chanting
"1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4, 5-nil" after our final goal - ahh what memories that
brings back!  The last five minutes brought some more excitement as Becks
almost made it 6 but the referee then put Brondby out of their misery and
sent us home happy - still with the Danes' singing ringing in our ears!

Man-of-the-match?  Becks is a contender, but for me it has to be Blomqvist.
 He was superb.  Watching the team last night was reminiscent of watching
the double winning side in '94 - with an inpenetrable central defence, two
out-and-out wingers, a strong midfield and two superb strikers up front who
seem to be able to read each other's minds.  In the last couple of seasons
we seem to have been thrashing about a bit, trying to find the right
combination of players.  In the first half last night it was hard not to
believe Fergie has found just the right combination, it was a joy to watch.

My journey home was rather less eventful than Paul's.  There was no famous
footballer on Piccadilly station (although a friend of mine did run into
Eric on Stockport station once).  But I have to share with you all that a
couple of weeks ago, I was almost run over in King St in Manchester by our
Becks, driving the very same black jaguar that Paul and Mick saw him in
last night!  Unfortunately, he had gone before I had my wits about me
enough to think what I should have said!  (After apologising and giving me
a very sweet smile).  Last night, unfortunately, I was simply pestered by a
scruffy little kid who kept pinching my chicken pick 'em ups on platform 13!


Copyright © 1998 by Our Salford Lass. All rights reserved.  
Not to be reproduced without permission of the author
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Date:         Thu, 5 Nov 1998 07:38:23 -0000
From:         Mark Armstrong 
Subject:      Pancho Pearson

Last night was my first European game that I have been to and what a great
night it was. I am lucky that my friend works for a company that has four
season tickets but have only been for Premiership matches.
The tickets are for the Directors Lounge with a meal etc thrown in, I have
been lucky enough in the past to meet one or two of the ex-players and pass
the time of day with them.
But last night while we were waiting for the meal to be served in walked
Stuart Pearson, apart from being a bit thinner on top he looked very well.
He was really keen to talked and I ended up having a great chat with him, he
has only just started doing the corporate hospitality having spent a few
years out of the game and is really pleased to be involved again. He gave
the impression that he would love to get into the football side of things as
well.
I asked him if he meets up with any of the players and he then prompted to
tell me about Jimmy Greenoff, who was running an insurance business with his
best mate, who decided to screw him. Jimmy lost all his money and his house,
his mate spends one year inside and gets out.
Jimmy is one player I would love to shake by the hand, the name conjures up
memories of listening to a crackly radio for the FA Cup semi final replay
against Liverpool when he scored a cracking goal (which he normally did
against the scousers). I can hear the commentator screaming his name as
though it was only yesterday.
We also talked about Alex fielding a below strength team for the Worthington
Cup, about his best memory (the Cup Final win over Liverpool), and how
different the ground is now, he got lost when he was making his way back
from the new stand.
I was a great night all round, I know some of you sneer at the corporate
hospitality side of things saying that they are not true fans. Well that is
the case for most of them, the only part I would change is where you sit, it
is devoid of any atmosphere (except when a goal is scored), when I go I want
to chant and sing along with the rest but seem to be in a minority of one.
Still beggars can not be choosers, it was free and I am very thankful for
that.
Here's to a draw against Barcelona and beating Bayern Munich, perhaps
Brondby could do us a favour, you never know.

Mark Armstrong
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Subject:      NEW DEAL AWAITS IRWIN

BREAKING NEWS - Friday 06 November 1998

NEW DEAL AWAITS IRWIN

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson wants Denis Irwin to sign a
new contract at Old Trafford.

The Republic of Ireland defender's current deal runs out at the end of
the season and Ferguson is keen for the 33-year-old to agree to a new
one.

Contract negotiations started a few weeks ago but were put on ice after
Irwin was injured. Ferguson said there was "nothing to report yet" but
insisted he wants Irwin to remain a United player beyond the summer.
"Absolutely, he's a great player," he said.

Ferguson also claimed that a new contract was not in the offing for
rising star Wes Brown. "We have not discussed anything. Wes
already has a four-year contract," he said.

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BREAKING NEWS - Thursday 05 November 1998 

Subject: BAYERN SET UP UNITED DECIDER 

Manchester United will confirm their place in the last eight of the
Champions' League with victory over Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on
December 9 following a startling triumph by the Germans over Barcelona
in Spain.

Trailing 1-0 to a first-half penalty from Giovanni, Bayern stunned the Nou
Camp, levelling through Alexander Zickler three minutes after the
interval, then grabbing a late winner through Hasan Salihamidzic.
It takes the German outfit, who entertain Brondby in their next game,
to within a point of Alex Ferguson's men, with Barcelona trailing United
by four points.

Arsenal find themselves third in Group E, behind Dynamo Kiev and
Panathinaikos, who recorded a 1-0 victory over Lens in Greece.
The all-important winner came from Leonidas Vokolos after 53 minutes and
could be vital in the tightest of all the groups, just a single point
separating all four sides.

A last-gasp header from Argentine international Diego Simeone earned
Inter Milan a share of the spoils from their tricky Group C trip to
Spartak Moscow.

With three teams level on six points after three matches, Simeone's strike
could prove vital in steering the Serie A side into the quarter-finals.
Spartak had taken the lead in front of a partisan 78,000 crowd when
striker Andrei Tikhonov drove his 68th minute shot against a post and
Inter goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca deflected the rebound into his own
net.
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Subject: United go for the jackpot 
 David Lacey on why Cole and Yorke could be the pair to leave the lemons behind 
Friday November 6, 1998

Manchester United must be feeling the tingle of anticipation
experienced by fruit machine addicts who sense that the
jackpot is about to happen. After an inauspicious start in the
Champions League this season, two sets of results have turned
United's fortunes almost completely around. 

Alex Ferguson was banking on Bayern Munich beating
Barcelona at home but he could hardly have dared hope that
the German champions would go on to win at Nou Camp. The
late goal which brought Bayern a 2-1 victory on Wednesday
night has produced a hasty spot of revisionism in Group D. 

Ferguson's players went into their second turkey shoot against
Brondby more or less assuming that the decisive match in the
group would be their visit to Barcelona in just under three
weeks' time. Now they know that even if they lose in Spain, a
win against Bayern at Old Trafford on December 9 will take
them to the quarter-finals. A victory over Barcelona and they
would need only a draw at home. 

But if Bayern can beat Barcelona twice then it follows that they
are quite capable of getting the result they need at Old
Trafford. And should they beat Brondby at home while United
are losing at Nou Camp then a point would suffice. 

True, Bayern did lose their opening fixture 2-1 to Brondby in
the Parken Stadium, a result which remains as big a mystery to
Danes as it does to Bavarians. And United did get to within a
minute or two of winning in Munich before a mistake by Peter
Schmeichel allowed Bayern to escape with a 2-2 draw. 

Yet after Wednesday's victory Bayern will be feeling as
buoyantly optimistic as United and possibly more so. Fruit
machine-wise, therefore, Ferguson's team may still be left with
a lemon on December 9. The anticlimax of losing to Borussia
Dortmund in the semi-finals two seasons ago should not be
forgotten. 

Against that, United's rich vein of fast, fluent attacking form has
made them look capable of beating anybody. For nearly four
years at Old Trafford Andy Cole had waited for a Dwight
Yorke to complement his exceptionally quick reflexes near
goal. The second goal in the 5-0 win over Brondby on
Wednesday night encapsulated the rapport which has now
seen the pair score 11 goals in seven games. Cole dummied
Jesper Blomqvist's cross from the left, allowing the ball to run
on to Yorke who immediately laid it back to him. With the
defence thoroughly confused, Cole calmly scored from the
narrowest of angles. 

If Blomqvist, now enjoying a run on United's left wing in the
absence of the injured Ryan Giggs, can maintain his present
form, the effect of losing the Welshman at such a critical stage
of the Champions League will be lessened. 

Fundamental to United's chances of first purging the memories
of their 4-0 humiliation by Barcelona at Nou Camp four years
ago and then beating Bayern is the restoration of Roy Keane
to their midfield. Having missed most of last season after a
cruciate ligament injury, the Irishman has regained much of his
old authority without so far lapsing into his old indiscipline. 

At present none of Ferguson's first choices is on a yellow card
in the Champions League. Bayern on the other hand have lost
Stefan Effenberg for their next game and have another eight
players, including Lothar MatthŠus, just one booking away
from missing the visit to Old Trafford. 
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Subject: Keane: We're better than Double winners
  Friday, November 6, 1998 

Manchester United captain Roy Keane believes the club's £28million summer
spending spree willle secure European glory this season.

Eyebrows were raised when manager Alex Ferguson splashed out to buy Jaap
Stam, Dwight Yorke and Jesper Blomqvist.

But, after United had beaten Brondby 5-0 and banked another three points
along the route to the trophy Ferguson covets more than any other, Keane
revealed that the costly recruitment drive has provided an edge which was
missing even from the Double-winning side of 1993-4.

'I believe this is the best shape we have been in, as far as Europe goes, in my
time at the club,' said Keane. 'For quality in depth, this is the strongest squad.

'You could argue the '94 Double-winning team had the best starting line-up. It
virtually picked itself, but there wasn't much cover if we ran into injuries. There
is now. You only have to look at the row of fully-fledged internationals on the
bench every week to realise that. The fear factor is there - a fear that you will
lose your place if you let your standards drop even a fraction.

'People go on about wages these days, but that is a side issue. It doesn't
matter how much you are being paid, you want to be playing. You want to be
out on the pitch, especially on a big European night when the atmosphere is
something else.

'That is what spurs you on. You see men like Nicky Butt, Ronny Johnsen, Jordi
Cruyff and Ole Solskjaer on the bench and realise that Ryan Giggs is on his
way back from injury, so competition for places is intense. It is helping us
produce performances like the one against Brondby. To be 4-0 up at half-time in
a Champions League tie is not bad, is it?

'Scoring goals like that is great for our confidence and means we can head for
Barcelona in three weeks in a positive frame of mind. We will go there looking
to win. I would like to think we can beat any team in Europe at the moment.' 
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Subject: PETER SCHMEICHEL PEN

Birthplace: Gladsaxe, Denmark, 18/11/1963
Height: 193cm - 6ft 4in
Weight:  88.91kg - 14st 0lb
Full International:  Denmark (105 caps, 0 goals)
Position:    Goalkeeper
Squad Number:   1
Debut:  17.08.1991
Appearances (1991-1998):    357
Goals:   1

Peter Schmeichel was born in Gladsaxe, Denmark, on 18th November 1963. He
began playing professional football with Hvidovre of Denmark, before moving
on to one of the country's biggest League clubs, Brondby. At Brondby,
Schmeichel picked up three League Championship medals and was voted Danish
'Footballer of  the year' in 1990. In August 1991 Manchester United manager
Alex Ferguson paid £500,000 for the relatively unknown keeper. Schmeichel
however turned out to be worth his weight in gold!

On his debut at Old Trafford Schmeichel kept a
clean sheet  as he did for the next three games. The United faithful 
quickly recognised his skill in goal, claiming after just four
games that he was the best keeper to play for United since Alex Stepney. 
In his first full season at Old Trafford, he collected a League Cup
winners' medal and helped United to second spot in the League, conceding
only 33 goals in 42 games. The  following season United and Schmeichel went
one better, winning the League Championship - a trophy Manchester United had coveted
for 26 years.

Since moving to Manchester United, Schmeichel has picked up four League
Championship medals, has won the  F.A. Cup twice and a League Cup winners'
medal. It is no coincidence that Schmeichel's arrival at Old Trafford has
coincided with one of United's most successful spells in  their history.
Voted the Best 'Keeper in the World' on two occasions, he is almost
certainly the best in Europe. His large frame is often enough to put a player off the target. 
He is an excellent shot stopper and contributes to the attack with his long throws
and goal kicks. From time to  time, participates in United's attack, moving
up the field for  corners (scoring once for United when playing against
Rotor Volgograd in September 1995).

In addition to all his domestic honours, Schmeichel is a permanent fixture in the Danish team
 and was a part of the team who won the European Championships in 1992. His performances in the
 1992 European Championship finals made him a national hero. He was the team captain in 
 1997/98, due to the absence of Roy Keane.

Did You Know?
Peter Schmeichel wears an XXXL goalkeeper jersey.  
As a child he was a Manchester United supporter.
On his international debut in Greece, Schmeichel kept a clean sheet
as his team went on to a 5-0 victory.
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Subject:  Could be the future? "Yossi Benayoun, Haifa' 18-year-old wunderkind

This message came into www.red11.org today
Worth checking out maybe?
I will fax the article to Fergie!
Barry
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> At 16:55 10-10-98 -0700, yoel druker wrote:
Like I wrote THIS KID IS GOOD
Please check him. ("Yossi Benayoun, Haifa' 18-year-old wunderkind).
see attachment from a newspaper.
Yoel
Barry Leeming wrote:
> >There is a very good player that I recommend (as a ManU fan) he does not
> >play for a team I like, his name is Yosi Benayoun he plays for Macabi
> >Haifa (Israel) he is 18 years old, he played at Ajax youth team (a
> >couple years age they played against ... ManU) his team beat Paris S.J
> >and he was fantastic (in a few years his price tag will be VERY high)
> >please look into it.
> >Yours truly, Yoel
> Thanks Yoel we certainly will! :))
> Thanks for submitting an entry into the www.red11.org guestbook.
> THEATRE OF DREAMS   http://www.red11.org

 Friday, November 6, 1998
 Heroic Haifa makes history
 Maccabi reaches Cup Winners Cup quarters with 4-1 victory over Ried at
Kiryat Eliezer
   By Elliot Hool, Ha'aretz Sports Correspondent

Maccabi Haifa made history last night by becoming the first Israeli team to
reach the quarter-final of a European tournament with a stunning 4-1
victory over SV Ried of Austria. Yossi Benayoun, Haifa's 18-year-old
wunderkind was at his unbeatable best, as Haifa turned over a 2-1 deficit
from the first leg. Benayoun set up goals for Alon Mizrahi and Aduram Keise
before adding one of his own.

In front of 15,000 expectant fans at Kiryat Eliezer, the tension in the
Haifa ranks was obvious from the start. Ofir Kopel gave it full expression
when he manhandled Goran Stanisanljevic and picked up a yellow card in the
3rd minute.

The Haifa defense was let off the hook in the seventh minute when Gerald
Strafner hit the side netting after Lior Davidovich had committed himself
to a swinging Helmut Zeller cross.

Two minutes later, disaster struck for Haifa when a late challenge from
Kopel on Oliver Glasner produced a red card from the Croatian referee and
reduced the green ranks by one. Maccabi's one man disadvantage lasted only
90 seconds however, before a rash challenge from Reid defender Gunter
Steininger on Mizrahi had the referee reaching again for his top pocket.

With the extra space created by the expulsions, the game flowed - with
Haifa ascendant. In the 20th minute Benayoun's broke into the Ried box but
shot against Ried keeper Maximilian Oraze's legs. From the resulting
corner-kick Keise's header clipped the Austrian upright.

In the the 27th minute a Haifa break gave Mizrahi options to his left and
right but elected to shoot and Oraze got down well. A minute later
17-year-old Yaniv Katan, who was a real handful for the Ried defense,
almost surprised Oraze but his shot was deflected harmlessly away.

At the other end Strafner nearly silenced the Haifa crowd but shot wide
after pouncing on a Davidovich parry.

In the 32nd minute Maccabi made the breakthrough. Benayoun picked up the
ball just outside his own box, sprinted the length of the pitch, and found
Mizrahi in the Ried box with a defense-splitting pass. Mizrahi did not
disappoint and shot low to Oraze's left to the delight of the crowd.

Maccabi continued to dominate after the goal and almost doubled its lead
five minutes from the break but Radovan Hramatko was slow to react to an
Oraze error. In first-half injury time Davidovich saved well from Maciev
Sliwowski, from the clearance Katan broke down the Ried left and Oraze did
well to palm his powerful shot over the bar.

Ried took the game to Haifa after the break in search of an equalizer, but
did not have the ability to create a proper opening and was reduced to
long-range efforts on Davidovich's goal.

In the 61st minute Benayoun flighted a free-kick from the right into the
Ried box. Keise rose high above the Austrian defense to head pass Oraze and
give Haifa a 2-0 lead on the night and a 3-2 lead overall.

Just as Haifa looked to have settled the tie the Austrians came roaring
back. Twenty minutes from time Michael Anicic leveled the scores when he
drove past Davidovich from 18 yards. With extra-time lurking, Benayoun took
matters into hand. Fifteen minutes from time the 18-year-old powered
through the Ried midfield, combined with Katan to split the Austrian
defense and shot past Oraze to make it 3-1 to Haifa.

As the final minutes ticked away and Ried went in search of a goal to give
them overall victory the Haifa crowd held its breath - not particularly
wise when you consider that a Haifa resident died of a heart attack during
Haifa's historic 3-2 victory over Paris St Germain last month.

The Austrians were reduced to nine men in injury-time in bizarre
circumstances, when frustrated Ried midfielder Faruk Hadjurovic attacked a
ball boy who was slow to retrieve the ball. As the unfortunate youngster
turned away in tears to be consoled by his colleagues, at the other end
Alon Mizrahi broke down the right and passed to the unmarked Ibrahim Duro
who shot Haifa into a history.

"Yossi Benayoun, Haifa'  A Star of the future!
"Are you Against the BSkyB takeover? Please Read! Click on image!"

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