MIDDLESBROUGH'S players ensured that the club's trip to Rome will be remembered for all the right reasons after they dumped once-mighty Roma out of the UEFA Cup last night.

After the ugly events of the previous night outside the Stadio Olimpico, Middlesbrough's players gave their fans plenty to shout about inside with a battling performance which secured a quarter-final berth.

The scoreline may not have been as special as the goalless draw England claimed here to secure a place in the 1998 World Cup but to everyone on Teesside it means even more.

The small town in Europe have knocked out Italian giants AS Roma and secured a monumental victory that ensured they will be in tomorrow's quarter-finals draw in Eindhoven. The celebrations at the final whistle highlighted the achievement.

Having gained the upper hand seven days ago, Boro edged a step closer to that when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink grabbed the valuable away goal just after the half hour. The goal led to the Italian police having to prevent a clutch of Roma fans attempting to do battle in the away corner.

A pinpoint cross from Stewart Downing, in front of the watching England coach Sven Goran Eriksson, was met by the rising figure of Hasselbaink who produced an outstanding finish.

Roma, needing three goals to win, responded by hitting back through Mancini before the break and a penalty from the South American 24 minutes from time ensured a nail-biting finish.

But Boro secured the triumph their dogged, determined and resolute play deserved.

Every seat in the stadium may not have been taken but there was still a great atmosphere.

Thirty minutes before kick-off the first fire cracker went off behind the goal as Roma warmed up and there was an anticipation prior to kick-off that had not been at Boro's previous European encounters.

McClaren may have taken his players to places like Alkmaar, Zurich and Lisbon in the past but Rome was a completely different proposition, highlighted by the club's largest European following penned in one corner of the ground.

The 3,400 supporters who had made the trip from Teesside all dreamed of witnessing a cup triumph the Boro boss claimed would stun the rest of the continent if it was achieved.

In an attempt to do just that he opted to play the same side that gained the slender goal advantage at the Riverside Stadium. That meant Hasselbaink operated just behind striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu.

Roma, knowing defeat would be unacceptable to their fanatical fans, did make changes. The most telling was the return from suspension of creative midfielder Daniele De Rossi.

And with De Rossi pulling the strings they made their attentions clear from the moment the second leg got under way and the Boro rearguard was called into action within 20 seconds of the start.

A marauding run forward by French centre-back Phillipe Mexes was achieved far too easily. Yet, after Mexes had found right-winger Edgar Alvarez, Gareth Southgate was alert to head clear with Rodrigo Taddei lurking.

Alvarez looked sprightly down the right and was clearly going to cause problems, but it was from the left that Roma's next effort arrived.

Christian Chivu, another defender to have been given freedom to push on by coach Luciano Spalletti, was brought down on the edge of the area by Gaizka Mendieta. The free-kick from Cesare Bovo, though, flew into the arms of Mark Schwarzer.

Boro struggled to emerge from their own half and McClaren tried to change things, as he did occasionally in the first meeting, by repeatedly switching Mendieta and Downing on the flanks.

But Roma continued to be the side exploiting gaps, particularly down Emanuel Pogatetz' side.

Honduran Alvarez worked his way in behind the Austrian after 19 minutes and his low cross, allowed to keep rolling by Taddei, fell at the feet of Mancini.

But the Brazilian dallied in possession and Andrew Davies stuck a leg out and cleared the danger. In another attack, Taddei's header dropped just wide.

The Italian defender proved to be Roma's most potent weapon in the first half and it was another of his long-range strikes that came within inches of levelling the tie on aggregate.

After Downing gifted possession back to Roma in his own half, Bovo took a touch before crashing a 25-yard strike off the top of the bar with Schwarzer helpless.

Signs the tide could be changing did appear when Mendieta's appeals for a penalty were waved away when he was brought down by Olivier Dacourt and the Italian gamesmanship became more frequent.

After Alvarez had wasted a chance when he was put clean through on goal, the vital away goal arrived courtesy of Hasselbaink.

The work of Downing down the left cannot be under-valued and his pinpoint cross from the left allowed the Dutchman to rise ahead of Mexes and place an exceptional header beyond Gianluca Curci.

Roma suddenly found themselves in need of finding three goals, without the help of extra-time.

And the first, at a time when Roma looked at their most vulnerable, duly arrived ten minutes later.

An incisive move involving De Rossi, Chivu and Taddei ended with Mancini side-footing beyond Schwarzer from close range.

The impetus was back with the home side, urged on by their fanatical supporters, and Boro were thankful for two saves from Schwarzer towards the end of the first half. Shortly after Samuel Kuffour had cleared up after a Curci error that threatened to end in a second Hasselbaink goal.

If the first phase of the game plan had been achieved, the second had to be equally as effective, with 45 minutes separating Boro from a place in the quarter-finals.

On came left-footed Franck Queudrue for right-back Davies and it was immediately after the restart that Roma tested the Frenchman.

Mancini skipped round Queudrue before being allowed to run towards the Boro goal where a combination of blue shirts managed to clear as Roma's second looked to be on the cards.

Just as in the first half, Boro had to settle for sporadic breaks after the restart as Roma pushed forward.

But Schwarzer was in no mood to let the lead slip and made two world-class stops in a world-famous arena.

First of all he somehow turned Mancini's close-range volley away for a corner and then he got down low to thwart De Rossi, who had just the Aussie to beat.

That led to Yakubu's withdrawal for experienced midfielder Ray Parlour as McClaren opted to play the last half hour with one forward on the pitch. Spalletti responded by throwing on striker Stefano Okaka for midfielder Dacourt.

And the 16-year-old's first contribution was to be awarded a penalty when Parlour was adjudged to have fouled him in the area. Up stepped Mancini and sent Schwarzer the wrong way and Roma needed just one.

From that point, strangely, Roma allowed the pressure to drop and Schwarzer had not been called into action until Mexes' header from Taddei's corner forced the Australian into a low stop.

And frustrated Roma's misery was complete when Mexes was red-carded in the closing stages.

* First-half goals from former West Ham man Fredi Kanoute and Luis Fabiano saw Sevilla overturn their 1-0 first-leg deficit and progress into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup at the expense of Lille.

The French side came into the game with a 1-0 lead but they were up against it in Spain from the moment Mathieu Bodmer was sent off after 26 minutes, and they conceded twice before the break. Kanoute struck in the 29th minute from just inside the area and the lead was doubled in first-half injury time when Luis Fabiano reacted to Kanoute's header to fire home low from inside the six-yard box

Result: AS Roma 2 Middlesbrough 1 (Midlesbrough win on away goals).

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