FC Steaua Bucuresti v Halmstads BK PRESS KIT Ghencea, Bucharest Wednesday, 30 November 2005 - 21:45 local time Group C - Matchday 4 Top meets bottom on Matchday 4 in UEFA Cup Group C match with unbeaten leaders FC Steaua Bucuresti playing host to Halmstads BK, who have lost their first three matches. Steaua have not conceded a goal in their two games to date, while the Halmstad defence has been breached nine times, the highest total in the group stage. •Both clubs have already met RC Lens earlier in the group. The Romanian team recorded an impressive 4-0 win against Lens in the first round of matches to make it two wins from two home games in this season's UEFA Cup having defeated Vålerenga IF 3- 1 in the first leg. Halmstad's only other away game in the section, meanwhile, ended in a 5-0 loss at Lens while their home games with Hertha BSC Berlin and UC Sampdoria ended in 1-0 and 3-1 defeats, respectively. Steaua have also played the Italian outfit, grinding out a goalless draw in Genoa on Matchday 2. •Halmstad travel to Bucharest to meet Romanian opposition for the first time in UEFA competition, while Steaua have encountered a side from Sweden on one previous occasion in a European tie. •In the 1988/89 European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-finals, Steaua played IFK Göteborg, and returned from Sweden after the first leg having suffered a 1-0 loss. However, the return leg in Romania proved to be a one-way affair. •A hat-trick from Romanian forward Marius Lacatus and further goals from fellow internationals Ilie Dumitrescu and Gavril Balint took Steaua to a resounding 5-1 home win to pave the way for a 5-2 aggregate success. •Having defeated Göteborg, Steaua went though to the final with a win in the semi-final against Galatasary SK. But the Romanian club found AC Milan too strong in the competition's showpiece at the Camp Nou in Barcelona and slipped to a 4-0 defeat. Team facts: Steaua •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, SC Heerenveen, 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. uefa.com 1/15 FC Steaua Bucuresti v Halmstads BK PRESS KIT • 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. • 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. • 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. • 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 Thorstein Helstad to equalise five minutes from time. Rosenborg took control in the return leg in Trondheim 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 Dorin Goian (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 opened the group campaign in positive fashion with a 4­0 defeat of French uefa.com 2/15 FC Steaua Bucuresti v Halmstads BK PRESS KIT side RC Lens in the Romanian capital. Nicolae Dica (43, 63) scored in either half, although the initial strikes were provided by Constantin Iacob (13) and Dorin Goian (16). The last time Steaua won by four goals or more at home in a European club competition came in the 1992/93 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup first round when Irish side Bohemian FC were on the receiving end of a 4­0 defeat. • The Romanian side retained top spot following a 0­0 draw away to UC Sampdoria in Genoa on Matchday 2. Steaua dominated the first half and though the home side eventually asserted themselves during the second 45 minutes, neither side could fashion a goal. • Prior to Matchday 4 of the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage, Steaua had played 178 matches in UEFA club competition, trailing FK Crvena Zvezda (222) and PFC CSKA Sofia (180) with the highest amount of matches played by any club participating in this season’s UEFA Cup group stage. In UEFA Cup action, the Romanian side have won 18, drawn 15 and lost 17 games with 68 goals scored and 62 conceded. Team facts: Halmstad • Halmstad are making their first appearance in a UEFA club competition since the 2001/02 season. • Overall, the Swedish club are making their tenth appearance in UEFA club competitions since debuting in the 1977/78 European Champion Clubs’ Cup. • Halmstad made seven consecutive appearances in UEFA club competitions between 1995/96 and 2001/02. • Halmstad finished as runners­up to Malmö FF in last year’s Allsvenskan league and thus entered the 2005/06 UEFA Cup at the second qualifying round stage. • The Swedes eventually overcame Belfast­based Linfield FC, but they had to win in Northern Ireland in the return leg following a 1­1 draw at home. Halmstad went ahead through Andreas Johansson after 32 minutes only for Oran Kearney to level for the visitors 17 minutes from time. • However, Halmstad left nothing to chance at Windsor Park, racing to a three­goal interval lead after Gunnar Heidar Thorvaldsson (9), Tommy Jönsson (33) and Yaw Preko (45) found the target. Dusan Djuric added a fourth after 74 minutes sandwiching two consolation strikes from Linfield as the Swedes won 5­3 on aggregate. • Halmstad were rewarded with a first round tie against last season’s beaten finalists, Sporting Clube de Portugal, in the first round of the competition and again left themselves an uphill task following a home defeat in the opening leg. The Swedish side went down 2­1 despite taking the lead after 42 minutes when Thorvaldsson converted from the penalty spot. But they hit back in Lisbon, winning 3­2 after extra time to advance to the group stage on away goals. Thorvaldsson scored the opening goal after 15 minutes and though Wender levelled for the hosts after 34 minutes, Halmstad uefa.com 3/15 FC Steaua Bucuresti v Halmstads BK PRESS KIT managed to take the game into extra time when Thomas Zvirgzdauskas scored in the 89th minute. Although the same player would then score an own goal after 103 minutes, Halmstad still managed to salvage a victory when substitute Patrik Ingelsten stunned Sporting with the winner seven minutes from time. • The victory brought added pleasure to Halmstad as Sporting handed them a 6­1 defeat in Lisbon at the old José Alvalade stadium in the second round of the 2001/02 UEFA Cup, the Swedish side’s last game in UEFA club competition until this season.