FC Steaua Bucuresti v RC Lens PRESS KIT

Ghencea, Thursday, 20 October 2005 - 20:00 local time Group C - Matchday 1

FC Steaua Bucuresti, a team overcoming an unsuccessful attempt at qualifying for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League will face a team coming from the opposite spectrum of UEFA club competition on the opening matchday of the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage.

For RC Lens, this will be their eleventh match in European action this season as the French side advanced from the UEFA Intertoto Cup second round, which started in the first weekend in July, to play in the UEFA Cup group stage for the first time.

Steaua key facts •Prior to Matchday 1 of the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage, Steaua had played 178 matches in UEFA club competition. PFC CSKA Sofia have also played 178 matches, but both clubs trail FK Crvena Zvezda who have played 222 matches in UEFA club competition, the highest amount of matches played by any club participating in this season’s UEFA Cup group stage.

•This is Steaua’s third consecutive appearance in UEFA club competition.

•They are one of ten clubs featuring in the UEFA Cup group stage for the second consecutive season. The full list is: Steaua, Middlesbrough FC, FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, AZ Alkmaar, FC Basel 1893, , VfB Stuttgart, FC Zenit St. Petersburg, Beşiktaş JK and Sevilla FC.

• This is their 20th appearance in UEFA club competition in the past 22 seasons having missed out in 2000/01 and 2002/03.

• It is also their 36th overall appearance in UEFA club competition since debuting as CCA Bucuresti in the first round of the 1957/58 European Champion Clubs' Cup.

• Steaua are one of three Bucharest­based clubs involved in this season’s UEFA Cup group stage – the others being FC Dinamo Bucuresti and AFC Rapid Bucuresti.

• Having won last season’s Romanian Divizia A by a point from cross­city rivals FC Dinamo Bucuresti, Steaua took their place in the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round where they overcame Dublin­based Shelbourne FC 4­1 on aggregate. All of the goals came in the second leg in the Romanian capital which also witnessed three red cards being issued. Steaua broke the deadlock after 18 minutes through Banel Nicolita before adding a second nine minutes later from Constantin Iacob. Although Jason Byrne reduced the deficit after 38 minutes, second­half substitute Laurentiu Dinita put the game beyond the Irish side after 61 minutes before he was sent off in the last minute. With nine playing ten, Steaua still added to their tally as Daniel Oprita scored from the penalty spot four minutes into stoppage time.

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• Next up were Norway’s champions, Rosenborg BK, in the third qualifying round. The two sides shared a 1­1 draw in Bucharest with Constantin Iacob putting the home side ahead after 30 minutes only for Norwegian international striker to equalise five minutes from time. Rosenborg took control in the return leg in as they raced to a three­goal lead thanks to the efforts of Jan Gunnar Solli (38), Alexander Ødegaard (57) and the misfortune of Mirel Radoi (60) who put through his own net. But Radoi (74) atoned for his error and when Iacob (76) added a second for the visitors, Rosenborg had to dig deep to keep the hopes of taking a group stage berth alive. But deep they dug to advance to the group stage while Steaua consoled themselves with a place in the UEFA Cup first round. • Steaua faced Norwegian opposition once more as Vålerenga IF, the team that had finished second on goal difference to Rosenborg in the 2004 Tippeligaen, attempted to block their passage to the group stage. The Romanian side returned to Norway for the first leg and effectively put the tie beyond doubt with a 3­0 win thanks to goals from Mirel Radoi (24), Constantin Iacob (35) and (74). The return leg was equally one­sided as Steaua once more scored three through Nicolae Dica (30), Gabriel Bostina (41) and Iacob (48) before Vålerenga grabbed a consolation goal from Bernt Hulsker (55).

• Steaua also featured in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup, advancing past the group stage before being eliminated in the Round of 16 by Villarreal CF 2­0 on aggregate.

• The Romanian side’s greatest moment to date in UEFA club competition came on 7 May 1986 when they defeated FC Barcelona 2­0 on penalties after the sides remained scoreless during 120 minutes of the 1985/86 European Champion Clubs’ Cup final. For the record, Marius Lacatus and Gavril Pelé Balint were the only scorers in the shoot­ out.

• They would qualify once more for the final three years later but found AC Milan too strong as they were on the receiving end of a 4­0 defeat at Barcelona’s Camp Nou.

• Steaua have endured a difficult time against French sides in UEFA club competition with four wins, one draw and nine defeats in 14 games. The only tie to date which the Romanian side won came in their last meeting with a French team as they won on away goals against SC in the second round of the 1997/98 UEFA Cup after they shared six goals. It was also a season in which Steaua were denied qualification for the UEFA Champions League by another French side, Paris Saint­Germain FC. PSG overcame a 3­0 forfeit in the opening leg to run out 5­0 winners in Paris in the return, with Rai grabbing a hat­trick. Lens key facts • Prior to Matchday 1 of the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage, Lens had played 70 matches in UEFA club competition.

• Lens are making their seventh appearance in UEFA club competition in the last ten seasons.

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• Overall it is their 12th appearance in UEFA club competition since debuting in the first round of the 1975/76 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. • Lens entered the UEFA Intertoto Cup at the second round stage following their seventh­place finish in last season’s , meaning that they have participated in ten UEFA club competition matches to advance to the group stage of the 2005/06 UEFA Cup. • Their European adventure began on 3 July 2005 at home to Polish side Lech Poznan and culminated in a 2­1 victory thanks to goals from Brazilian striker Jussie (19) and Nicolas Gillet (44). The former scored the only goal of the return leg after eleven minutes to set up a tie against NK Varteks which Lens won 5­2 on aggregate. The French side then defeated German rivals VfL Wolfsburg 4­0 on aggregate with all the goals coming at home in the second leg when Aruna Dindane (42), Seydou Keita (48) and Issam Jemaa (89, 90) were on target. The result gave Lens their third successive home victory in the competition, a sequence they would extend against Romanian side CFR Cluj in the final. • Lens' first meeting against Romanian opposition in UEFA club competition ended in a 1­1 draw. Yoann Lachor put the French side ahead after 24 minutes at the Ion Moina stadium in Cluj before the home side equalised through Cristian Turcu in the 57th minute. But Lens were not to be denied and took a three­goal lead in the return leg with goals from Vitorino Hilton (38), Adama Coulibaly (76) and Daniel Cousin (78pen). Cluj’s consolation came from two minutes from time as Lens booked their spot in the first round of the UEFA Cup by winning 4­2 on aggregate.

• A UEFA Cup first­round tie against Polish side Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski saw Lens surrender their 100 per cent record at home in European action this season. Hilton gave the home side the lead after 13 minutes, but within a minute the visitors were level when Lachor put through his own net. But Lens have shown an ability to get among the goals this season and added four more in Poland to take their tally to 21 from ten outings and book their place in the group stage of the competition. Groclin offered little in terms of resistance for the opening 57 minutes as Lens built a three­goal cushion thanks to goals from Daniel Cousin (23, 54) and Aruna Dindane (30). The Polish side then contested the remainder of the match thanks to goals from Lumír Cedlácek (57) and Radim Sablik (78), only for Lens to score one minute into stoppage time through Lachor. • Previously, Lens featured in the 2003/04 UEFA Cup where they overcame FC Torpedo Kutaisi and FK Cementarnica 55 before losing 6­1 on aggregate to Turkish side Gaziantepspor in the second round of the competition. • Although they featured in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League on two occasions, namely during the 1998/99 and 2002/03 seasons, Lens’ most exciting venture in UEFA club competition came in the 1999/00 season when they advanced to the UEFA Cup semi­finals. Having defeated Maccabi Tel­Aviv FC, SBV Vitesse, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Club Atlético de Madrid and RC Celta de Vigo, Lens fell at the last hurdle to their first appearance in a UEFA club competition final to Arsenal FC. The London club won 3­1 on aggregate by winning both legs with Lens’ consolation coming

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in the second leg at home from Pascal Nouma (72).

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All-time statistics Head-to-head record No matches have been played between the two clubs

Home team's record versus clubs from the away team's country Date Comp. Stage Match Res Venue 05.10.1966 UCWC R1 RC Strasbourg - FC Steaua Bucuresti 1-0 Strasbourg 12.10.1966 UCWC R1 FC Steaua Bucuresti - RC Strasbourg 1-1 Bucharest 16.08.1978 UCL PR AS Monaco FC - FC Steaua Bucuresti 3-0 Monaco 30.08.1978 UCL PR FC Steaua Bucuresti - AS Monaco FC 2-0 Bucharest 24.10.1979 UCWC R2 FC Nantes Atlantique - FC Steaua Bucuresti 3-2 Nantes 07.11.1979 UCWC R2 FC Steaua Bucuresti - FC Nantes Atlantique 1-2 Bucharest 24.10.1990 UCWC R2 Montpellier Hérault SC - FC Steaua Bucuresti 5-0 Montpellier 07.11.1990 UCWC R2 FC Steaua Bucuresti - Montpellier Hérault SC 0-3 Bucharest 20.10.1993 UCL R2 AS Monaco FC - FC Steaua Bucuresti 4-1 Monaco 03.11.1993 UCL R2 FC Steaua Bucuresti - AS Monaco FC 1-0 Bucharest 13.08.1997 UCL QR2 FC Steaua Bucuresti - Paris Saint-Germain FC 3-0 Bucharest 27.08.1997 UCL QR2 Paris Saint-Germain FC - FC Steaua Bucuresti 5-0 Paris 21.10.1997 UCUP R2 FC Steaua Bucuresti - SC Bastia 1-0 Bucharest 04.11.1997 UCUP R2 SC Bastia - FC Steaua Bucuresti 3-2 Bastia Overall record Pld W D L GF GA FC Steaua Bucuresti 14 4 1 9 14 30

Away team's record versus clubs from the home team's country Date Comp. Stage Match Res Venue 09.08.2005 UIC F CFR Cluj - RC Lens 1-1 Cluj 23.08.2005 UIC F RC Lens - CFR Cluj 3-1 Lens Overall record Pld W D L GF GA RC Lens 2 1 1 0 4 2

UEFA club competition record FC Steaua Bucuresti Pld W D L GF GA European Champions Clubs' Cup / UEFA Champions League 87 34 23 30 132 121 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 40 14 12 14 51 54 UEFA Cup 48 17 14 17 64 62 UEFA Super Cup 1 1 0 0 1 0 UEFA Intertoto Cup 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 176 66 49 61 248 237 RC Lens

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Pld W D L GF GA European Champions Clubs' Cup / UEFA Champions League 12 4 4 4 16 17 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 4 1 1 2 10 7 UEFA Cup 44 20 11 13 81 50 UEFA Super Cup 0 0 0 0 0 0 UEFA Intertoto Cup 10 6 3 1 18 7 Total 70 31 19 20 125 81

KEY: All-time statistics Comp - Competition, Res - Result Pld - Matches played, W - Won, D - Drawn, L - Lost, GF - Goals for (scored), GA - Goals against (conceded) (NOTE: These are the official statistics considered valid for communicating official records in UEFA club competitions defined as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Intertoto Cup) (NOTE: For matches in the UEFA Champions League (group stage to final only) club record, the fixtures played in the 1992/93 and 1993/94 first and second rounds are included in the statistics calculation) Current club names used for all clubs listed in these tables Goals totals include the outcome of disciplinary decisions (eg. match forfeits when a 3-0 result is determined. Goals totals do not include goals scored from the penalty mark during a penalty shoot-out ECCC: European Champion Clubs' Cup and/or AP: Appearances QR2: Second qualifying round UEFA Champions League F: Final QR3: Third qualifying round UCUP: UEFA Cup GS: Group stage R1: First round UCWC: UEFA Cup Winners' Cup GS1: First group stage R2: Second round SCUP: UEFA Super Cup GS2: Second group stage R3: Third round UIC: UEFA Intertoto Cup PR: Preliminary round R4: Fourth round EURO: UEFA European Football Championship QF: Quarter-finals SF: Semi-finals WC: FIFA World Cup QR: Qualifying round 1/8: Eighth-finals QR1: First qualifying round 1/16: Sixteenth-finals

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Squad list FC Steaua Bucuresti All-time UEFACUP1 UEFA2 No. Player Nat DoB Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Cesar Lungu ROM 06.04.88 - - - - 12 Cornel Cernea ROM 22.04.76 - - 4 - 31 Toma Marius ROM 15.05.86 - - - - 33 Vasili Khomutovski BLS 30.08.78 18 - 26 - Defenders 2 Florentin Dumitru ROM 23.05.77 13 - 21 - 3 Dorin Goian ROM 12.12.80 2 1 4 2 4 Tiberiu Curt ROM 26.04.75 6 1 14 1 5 Daniel Balan ROM 18.09.79 1 - 4 - 6 Mirel Radoi ROM 22.03.81 15 1 25 2 15 Mihai Nesu ROM 19.02.83 4 - 10 - 17 Eugen Baciu ROM 25.05.80 6 - 7 - 18 Petre Marin ROM 08.09.73 13 - 27 - 20 George Ogararu ROM 03.02.80 15 - 22 - 23 Alexandru Tudose ROM 03.04.87 - - - - 24 Sorin Ghionea ROM 11.05.79 12 - 18 - 36 Boris Keca BHZ 05.04.78 3 - 5 - Midfielders 8 Andrei Enescu ROM 12.10.87 - - - - 10 Nicolae Dica ROM 09.05.80 10 2 14 3 11 Gabriel Bostina ROM 22.05.77 14 1 22 1 16 Banel Nicolita ROM 07.01.85 3 - 7 1 22 Sorin Paraschiv ROM 17.06.81 14 1 24 2 28 Florin Lovin ROM 11.02.82 9 - 13 - Forwards 7 Daniel Oprita ROM 10.08.81 14 1 21 4 9 Valentin Simion ROM 06.10.86 1 - 1 - 19 Constantin Iacob ROM 14.10.80 6 2 16 6 21 Andrei Cristea ROM 15.05.84 9 2 12 2 25 Alin Litu ROM 22.10.86 - - - - 27 Laurentiu Dinita ROM 29.03.75 7 - 11 1 Coach Oleg Protassov UKR 04.02.64 2 - 12 -

KEY: Squad list Squad list is ordered by position and then numerically No - Jersey number, Nat - Nationality, DoB - Date of birth, Pld - Played, Gls - Goals 1 - UEFACUP: Total appearances in the UEFA Cup from 1992/93 season, group stage to final only (NOTE: These are the official statistics considered valid for communicating official records in the competition) 2 - UEFA: Total appearances in UEFA club competitions including all qualifying round matches (NOTE: These are the official statistics considered valid for communicating official records in UEFA club competitions defined as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Intertoto Cup)

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Squad list RC Lens All-time UEFACUP1 UEFA2 No. Player Nat DoB Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Sébastien Chabbert FRA 15.06.78 1 - 3 - 16 Arnaud Brocard FRA 19.08.86 - - - - 30 Charles Itandje FRA 02.11.82 6 - 15 - 40 Niki Maenpaä FIN 23.01.85 - - - - Defenders 3 Vitorino Hilton BRA 13.09.77 8 2 16 3 4 Adama Coulibaly MLI 09.10.80 7 1 18 3 5 Nicolas Gillet FRA 08.11.76 15 4 28 5 14 Jonathan Martins Pereira FRA 30.01.86 - - - - 15 Yoann Lachor FRA 17.01.76 11 1 18 3 19 Kamil Zayatte FRA 07.03.85 - - 1 - 26 Yohan Demont FRA 15.05.78 1 - 9 - 32 Benoît Assou-Ekotto FRA 24.03.84 2 - 9 - 34 Patrick Barul FRA 02.10.77 3 - 8 - Midfielders 7 Jérôme Leroy FRA 04.11.74 4 - 32 3 8 Seydou Keita MLI 16.01.80 7 - 24 1 10 Eric Carrière FRA 24.05.73 22 2 47 8 13 Jonathan Lacourt FRA 17.08.86 - - 1 1 18 Olivier Thomert FRA 28.05.80 7 - 20 2 20 Mohamed Diame FRA 14.06.87 - - - - 22 Issam Jemma TUN 28.01.84 - - 4 2 23 Alou Diarra FRA 15.07.81 2 - 6 - 24 Kouamé Kouadio CIV 31.12.85 - - - - 25 Simon Feindouno GUI 15.08.85 - - - - Forwards 9 Daniel Cousin FRA 07.02.77 2 2 10 5 11 Jussie BRA 19.09.83 2 - 9 2 27 Aruna Dindane CIV 26.11.80 9 4 49 13 29 Seïd Khiter FRA 19.01.85 - - - - 31 Jimmy Kebe FRA 19.01.84 - - - - Coach Francis Gillot FRA 09.02.60 2 - 10 -

KEY: Squad list Squad list is ordered by position and then numerically No - Jersey number, Nat - Nationality, DoB - Date of birth, Pld - Played, Gls - Goals 1 - UEFACUP: Total appearances in the UEFA Cup from 1992/93 season, group stage to final only (NOTE: These are the official statistics considered valid for communicating official records in the competition) 2 - UEFA: Total appearances in UEFA club competitions including all qualifying round matches (NOTE: These are the official statistics considered valid for communicating official records in UEFA club competitions defined as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Intertoto Cup)

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Match-by-match lineups - Group C Clubs Pld W D L GF GA Pts Hertha BSC Berlin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 FC Steaua Bucuresti 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 UC Sampdoria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 RC Lens 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Halmstads BK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Date Match Res Line-ups 20/10/2005 Halmstads BK v Hertha BSC Berlin 20/10/2005 FC Steaua Bucuresti v RC Lens 03/11/2005 RC Lens v Halmstads BK 03/11/2005 UC Sampdoria v FC Steaua Bucuresti 24/11/2005 Hertha BSC Berlin v RC Lens 24/11/2005 Halmstads BK v UC Sampdoria 30/11/2005 UC Sampdoria v Hertha BSC Berlin 30/11/2005 FC Steaua Bucuresti v Halmstads BK 15/12/2005 Hertha BSC Berlin v FC Steaua Bucuresti 15/12/2005 RC Lens v UC Sampdoria

KEY: Match-by-Match lineups Pld - Matches played, W - Won, D - Drawn, L - Lost, GF - Goals for (scored), GA - Goals against (conceded), Pts - Points (NOTE: In the group stage, the group winners and runners-up advance to the UEFA Champions League knockout stage, the eight third-placed teams move into the UEFA Cup third round, and the eight fourth-placed teams are eliminated.)

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Match officials Referee Athanassios Briakos (GRE) Assistant referees Konstantinos Galanos (GRE), Dimitrios Bozatzidis (GRE) Fourth official Ilias Mazarakos (GRE) UEFA Delegate Joseph Mcglue (IRL) UEFA Referee observer Horst Brummeier (AUT) Referee

Name Nat DoB UEFACUP1 UEFA2 Athanassios Briakos GRE 06.04.1967 0 5 UEFA Cup matches involving teams from the two countries involved in this match Date Comp. Stage Match Res Venue 20.09.2001 UCUP R1 FK Marila Príbram - CS Sedan-Ardennes 4-0 Pribram 20.10.2005 UCUP GS FC Steaua Bucuresti - RC Lens Bucharest

UEFA Cup Other matches Date Comp. Stage Match Res Venue 15.08.2002 UCUP QR NK Varteks - Dundalk FC 5-0 Varazdin 03.10.2002 UCUP R1 Rangers FC - FK Viktoria Žižkov 3-1 Glasgow 14.08.2003 UCUP QR Brøndby IF - FC Dinamo 3-0 Brondby 15.10.2003 UCUP R1 - SV Austria Salzburg 1-2 Udine 06.11.2003 UCUP R2 Feyenoord - FK Teplice 0-2 Rotterdam 16.09.2004 UCUP R1 FC Metalurh Donetsk - S.S. Lazio 0-3 Donetsk 16.12.2004 UCUP GS FC Utrecht - FK Austria Wien 1-2 Utrecht 15.09.2005 UCUP R1 FC Krylya Sovetov Samara - AZ Alkmaar 5-3 Samara

Other matches Date Comp. Stage Match Res Venue 23.04.2001 U16 GS - FT Poland - Russia 0-0 Hull 26.04.2001 U16 GS - FT Spain - Germany 0-2 Durham 11.07.2001 UCL QR1 FC Araks Ararat - FC Sheriff 0-1 Yerevan 05.10.2001 U21 QR Croatia - Belgium 1-0 Velika 28.11.2001 U17 QR Netherlands - Liechtenstein 3-0 Vaduz 20.07.2002 UIC R3 Bologna FC - FC BATE Borisov 2-0 Bologna 21.10.2002 U19 QR1 Slovenia - Scotland 1-2 Maribor 23.10.2002 U19 QR1 Iceland - Slovenia 1-2 Krizevci 05.07.2003 UIC R2 FK Sloboda Tuzla - K. Lierse SK 1-0 Tuzla 16.07.2003 U19 GS - FT Norway - Italy 0-1 Balzers 18.07.2003 U19 GS - FT Czech Republic - Austria 1-4 Schaan 09.09.2003 U21 QR England - Portugal 1-2 Liverpool 08.10.2004 U21 QR Slovenia - Italy 0-3 Nova Gorica 08.06.2005 WC QR - Armenia 3-0 Constanta 23.07.2005 UIC R3 Hamburger SV - UD Leiria 2-0 03.08.2005 UCL QR2 SK Rapid Wien - F91 Dudelange 3-2 07.09.2005 WC QR Malta - Croatia 1-1 Ta' Qali

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12.10.2005 WC QR Austria - Northern Ireland 2-0 Vienna

KEY: Match Officials Nat - Nationality, DoB - Date of birth Comp - Competition, Res - Result 1 - UEFACUP: Total matches officiated in the UEFA Cup from 1992/93 season, group stage to final only. (NOTE: These are the official statistics considered valid for communicating official records in the competition. Matches where the match official has acted as a fourth official are not included in this statistic.) 2 - UEFA:Total matches officiated in UEFA club competitions including all qualifying round matches (NOTE: These are the official statistics considered valid for communicating official records in UEFA club competitions defined as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Intertoto Cup. International matches or matches where the match official has acted as a fourth official are not included in this statistic.) ECCC: European Champion Clubs' Cup and/or AP: Appearances QR2: Second qualifying round UEFA Champions League F: Final QR3: Third qualifying round UCUP: UEFA Cup GS: Group stage R1: First round UCWC: UEFA Cup Winners' Cup GS1: First group stage R2: Second round SCUP: UEFA Super Cup GS2: Second group stage R3: Third round UIC: UEFA Intertoto Cup PR: Preliminary round R4: Fourth round EURO: UEFA European Football Championship QF: Quarter-finals SF: Semi-finals WC: FIFA World Cup QR: Qualifying round 1/8: Eighth-finals CONFCUP: FIFA Confederations Cup QR1: First qualifying round 1/16: Sixteenth-finals FRIE: A International team

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Domestic news Steaua setting the standard (Monday, 17 October 2005) Of the five sides involved in UEFA Cup Group C, Halmstads BK and FC Steaua Bucuresti have reason to be confident heading into this week's fixtures as both recorded emphatic weekend league wins. Elsewhere RC Lens drew again, while there were disappointing defeats for Hertha BSC Berlin and UC Sampdoria, who do not start their group stage campaign until Matchday 2.

Halmstads BK bounced back from their 6-1 defeat against Djurgårdens IF with an equally emphatic result against Assyriska Föreningen. The Swedish First Division's top scorer Gunnar Heidar Thorvaldsson took his tally to 16 as Halmstad ran out 5-0 winners. Coach Jan Andersson fielded a full-strength team, and was rewarded with a victory that secured Halmstad's place in the top flight with one game of the Swedish season to go. Thorvaldsson opened the scoring on 31 minutes, before Andreas Johansson and Björn Anklew added two more within six minutes to make the game safe. Eduard Delani got on the scoresheet, then Thorvaldsson rounded off the victory. "It is a great relief to have finally secured our place in the top flight," said coach Jan Andersson. "Now we can go and enjoy the UEFA Cup, which we see as a huge bonus and something we are really looking forward to."

Hertha BSC Berlin Hertha dropped out of the top five in the Bundesliga with a 3-0 defeat at DSC Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday. Marcio Borges and Heiko Westermann gave the home side a comfortable lead before the half-hour and, although Hertha coach Falko Götz introduced striker Nando Rafael, who scored twice for Germany's Under-21 side in last weekend's 4-0 win against Wales, at half-time, Sibusiso Zuma added a third in the second period.

Hertha were without the suspended Ashkan Dejagah, while Kevin-Prince Boateng was ruled out with a hip injury and Christian Müller is still recovering from a broken leg. Gilberto, however, will miss Thursday's game after damaging ankle ligaments against Arminia, an injury that is expected to keep the Brazilian international midfielder out of action for up to three weeks. Götz said: "We could have played for hours and we wouldn't have scored; Arminia won with their dedication and determination. We didn't play at all well and, although there are still a lot of points up for grabs, we must improve in the future." FC Steaua Bucuresti Romanian champions Steaua preserved their one-point advantage at the top of the First Division with a blistering 4-1 success at FC Farul Constanta. Victoras Iacob found the net twice, in the 16th and 70th minutes, with Nicolae Dica striking nine minutes before half-time and Gabriel Bostina completing the win 13 minutes from time, while Vasilica Cristocea's 48th-minute goal proved little consolation for Farul. Steaua therefore moved

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on to 23 points, one ahead of city rivals FC Dinamo Bucuresti. "I did not expect this result, but we played a high-quality match," said Steaua coach Oleg Protasov. "This week we have three very important matches: two away in the championship and one at home, in the UEFA Cup. The first match has been won and I wish to repeat the style of playing and the result on Thursday against Lens." RC Lens

UEFA Intertoto Cup winners Lens extended their sequence of Ligue 1 draws to six matches on Saturday with a 2-2 scoreline against OGC Nice, thus slipping to tenth. Francis Gillot's side looked destined for three points until six minutes from time when former AS Monaco FC midfielder Souleymane Camara appeared unmarked at a corner and levelled for Nice.

The Riviera side had taken the lead earlier through Sebastien Roudet but Lens hit back with goals from French international midfielder Alou Diarra and striker Olivier Thomert. Diarra said: "This draw is a big disappointment." He has come swiftly back down to earth after replacing in the France team which secured their place at the FIFA World Cup 2006 last week. Lens coach Gillot, who has the luxury of a fully-fit squad for the trip to Romania to face Steaua, said: "We must focus completely again in order to avoid such stupid goals."

UC Sampdoria Emiliano Bonazzoli's seventh goal in seven games was not enough as Sampdoria suffered an unexpected 2-1 defeat at Ascoli Calcio 1898, Vittorio Tosto scoring both goals for the home side. Coach Walter Novellino was without long-term absentee Fabio Bazzani, who will be out of action with a knee injury until January, attacking midfielder Lamberto Zauli and defender Marco Zamboni (both muscle problems) but was boosted by the return of Giulio Zamboni, who was on the bench after a lengthy injury lay-off. Valeri Kutuzov, who scored the winner in Belarus's win against Scotland last week, was also among the Sampdoria substitutes.

Coach Novellino said: "We played to win the match but we were not lucky. I honestly believe that Ascoli deserved their fortune. We allowed them to score from a free-kick, something quite unusual. I would also say Bonazzoli is in outstanding form for us while [Francesco] Flachi is not".

uefa.com 13/15 FC Steaua Bucuresti v RC Lens PRESS KIT

Domestic league details FC Steaua Bucuresti (Divizia A) Date Opponent Res Goalscorers 06.08.2005 v FC Arges Pitesti (A) 1-0 Dica 14.08.2005 v FC National Bucuresti (H) 4-0 Dica, Ogararu, Iacob, Paraschiv 20.08.2005 v FC Politehnica AEK 0-0 Timisoara (A) 28.08.2005 v FC Otelul Galati (H) 4-0 Dica, Paraschiv, Oprita, Iacob 11.09.2005 v CS Pandurii Lignitul Târgu 2-1 Nicolita, Bostina Jiu (A) 18.09.2005 v FC Dinamo Bucuresti (H) 2-2 Dica, Goian 25.09.2005 v CS Politehnica Iasi (A) 1-0 Bostina (pen) 03.10.2005 v FCM Bacau (H) 1-0 Paraschiv 16.10.2005 v FC Farul Constanta (A) 4-1 Iacob (2), Bostina, Dica 23.10.2005 v AFC Rapid Bucuresti (A) 26.11.2005 v CS Jiul Petrosani (A) Rank Clubs Pld W D L GF GA Pts 1 FC Steaua Bucuresti 9 7 2 0 19 4 23 2 FC Dinamo Bucuresti 9 7 1 1 29 7 22 3 FC Farul Constanta 9 5 2 2 13 12 17 4 FC Sportul Studentesc 9 4 4 1 16 7 16 5 CFR Cluj 9 4 3 2 14 10 15 6 AFC Rapid Bucuresti 9 4 3 2 12 10 15 7 FC Arges Pitesti 9 4 3 2 10 8 15 8 FC National Bucuresti 9 4 2 3 6 10 14 9 FC Politehnica AEK Timisoara 9 3 4 2 10 6 13 10 CS Politehnica Iasi 9 3 1 5 6 10 10 11 FCM Bacau 9 2 2 5 3 11 8 12 CS Jiul Petrosani 9 1 4 4 5 10 7 13 FC Otelul Galati 9 1 4 4 5 16 7 14 CS Pandurii Lignitul Târgu Jiu 9 2 0 7 6 15 6 15 FC Gloria 1922 Bistrita 9 1 3 5 6 14 6 16 FC Vaslui 9 0 2 7 3 15 2 KEY: Domestic league details Pos - Position, Pld - Matches played, W - Won, D - Drawn, L - Lost, GF - Goals for (scored), GA - Goals against (conceded), Pts - Points

uefa.com 14/15 FC Steaua Bucuresti v RC Lens PRESS KIT

Domestic league details RC Lens (Ligue 1) Date Opponent Res Goalscorers 30.07.2005 v FC Nantes Atlantique (A) 0-2 06.08.2005 v (H) 2-0 Hilton, Keita 13.08.2005 v AS Nancy-Lorraine (A) 2-1 Diarra, Aruna 20.08.2005 v AJ Auxerre (H) 7-0 Thomert (2), Jussie (2), Demont, Cousin (2) 28.08.2005 v AS Monaco FC (A) 0-0 11.09.2005 v FC Girondins de Bordeaux 1-1 Cousin (H) 18.09.2005 v RC Strasbourg (A) 1-1 Aruna 22.09.2005 v (A) 1-1 Coulibaly 25.09.2005 v Stade Rennais FC (H) 0-0 15.10.2005 v OGC Nice (H) 2-2 Diarra, Thomert 23.10.2005 v ES Troyes Aube Champagne (A) 29.10.2005 v Toulouse FC (H) 06.11.2005 v FC Sochaux-Montbéliard (A) 19.11.2005 v FC Metz (H) 26.11.2005 v Paris Saint-Germain FC (A) Rank Clubs Pld W D L GF GA Pts 1 Olympique Lyonnais 11 8 3 0 18 8 27 2 Paris Saint-Germain FC 11 6 2 3 14 9 20 3 FC Girondins de Bordeaux 11 5 5 1 11 6 20 4 AJ Auxerre 11 6 1 4 14 15 19 5 AS Saint-Etienne 11 4 5 2 11 6 17 6 AS Monaco FC 11 5 2 4 10 9 17 7 Olympique de Marseille 11 5 2 4 12 12 17 8 AS Nancy-Lorraine 11 5 1 5 16 8 16 9 LOSC Lille Métropole 11 4 4 3 15 9 16 10 Le Mans UC 72 11 4 4 3 11 8 16 11 RC Lens 10 3 6 1 16 8 15 12 Toulouse FC 11 4 2 5 9 13 14 13 Stade Rennais FC 11 4 2 5 12 22 14 14 OGC Nice 11 3 4 4 10 13 13 15 FC Nantes Atlantique 11 3 3 5 9 9 12 16 AC Ajaccio 10 2 5 3 9 10 11 17 ES Troyes Aube Champagne 11 2 4 5 9 14 10 18 FC Sochaux-Montbéliard 11 2 3 6 5 12 9 19 RC Strasbourg 11 0 6 5 5 11 6 20 FC Metz 11 0 4 7 4 18 4 KEY: Domestic league details Pos - Position, Pld - Matches played, W - Won, D - Drawn, L - Lost, GF - Goals for (scored), GA - Goals against (conceded), Pts - Points

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