Osasuna hold out for Bordeaux draw

Wednesday, 14 February 2007
CA Osasuna produced a stubborn defensive display to frustrate FC Girondins de Bordeaux and claim a valuable clean sheet from this UEFA Cup Round of 32 first-leg tie.

Advantage Osasuna
With genuine chances scarce at the Stade Chaban-Delmas, the French club were left to rue a failure to make more of their territorial advantage, with the result favouring Osasuna ahead of next week's return match in Pamplona.

Strike threat
Bordeaux threatened intermittently on an uneven surface, with their best moments of the first half involving Juan Pablo Francia, who was unable to trouble goalkeeper Ricardo López from ten metres, and his lively strike partner Marouane Chamakh. The latter was centimetres away from applying the finishing touch to a David Jemmali cross on 44 minutes. Osasuna's sole effort of note had been a Pierre Webó header straight at goalkeeper Ulrich Ramé.

Huff and puff
The Spanish side continued to soak up the pressure after the restart, and not even the introduction of Edixon Perea for Vladimír Šmicer could break their concentration. Javier Flaño's heavy back-pass did worry his own goalkeeper, Ricardo, whose was later tested by a Julien Faubert shot. However, for all the hosts' huff and puff, there was no danger of a late crash by the visitors.

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