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| | Tuesday, September 14 Lazio starts European campaign with draw | |||||
| LEVERKUSEN, Germany -- Italy's Lazio used a superb free kick from Yugoslav defender Sinisa Mihajlovic to start its Champions League run with a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.
The Rome side levelled the tie when set-piece expert Mihajlovic struck from 20 meters in the 18th minute of a tense, tactical game.
Leverkusen, less glamorous than its visitors but determined to reach at least the knock-out phase, moved ahead after 14 minutes when German striker Oliver Neuville volleyed home from a Bernd Schneider cross.
The home side started the game in impressive fashion, putting Lazio under pressure to the delight of the 22,500 fans packing their compact stadium.
But after Lazio scored, Leverkusen was far too passive and failed to breach the Italians' compact defense.
Lazio relied on counter-attacks and came close to scoring another goal when a powerful shot from veteran Croatian striker Alen Boksic went just wide seconds before the break.
The best chance in a relatively uneventful second half was for the Germans when a Neuville shot hit the post from close range in the 60th minute.
"We played well against a top team and that's encouraging for the matches to come," said Leverkusen co-captain Jens Nowotny. "But it's true that after they levelled, we did not take enough risks. We were afraid they might score another goal and maybe we treated them with too much respect."
Leverkusen sorely missed its danger man in attack, international striker Ulf Kirsten, who is nursing a thigh muscle injury he sustained in Germany's 2-1 win over Finland in an European championship qualifier earlier this month.
"We started well but Lazio controlled the game better and better," said Nowotny's counterpart, Christoph Daum. "We just couldn't manage that last pass which creates an opportunity. It's something we must work on."
The Italian's Swedish coach Sven-Goran Eriksson could not complain about the outcome, but his men collected four yellow cards that could cost dear later in the competition.
"I am satisfied with the result and especially with the fact that we were able to raise the level of our game in the second half," he said. | ALSO SEE Roundup: Controversial goal helps lead Barcelona past AIK
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