Middlesbrough and Sevilla advance to UEFA Cup final

Middlesbrough and Sevilla advanced to the final of the UEFA Cup with semifinal victories Thursday night.

Massimo Maccarone scored twice as Middlesbrough rallied to overcome a three-goal aggregate deficit and beat visiting Steaua Bucharest 4-2, winning the home-and-home, total-goals series 4-3.
 
"Massimo, I love him until I die," Middlesbrough forward Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink said. "It's unbelievable."

In Spain, Antonio Puerto scored in the 11th minute of overtime as Sevilla beat Germany's Schalke 1-0 following a 0-0 tie in the first leg.

The May 10 championship at Eindhoven, Netherlands is the first European final for both clubs. One week later in another England-Spain matchup, Arsenal plays Barcelona at Saint-Denis, France, in the final of the Champions League, Europe's top club tournament.

Steaua, the 1986 European champion, built a 2-0 lead at Middlesbrough on Nicolea Dica's goal in the 17th minute and Dorin Goian's in the 24th.

Maccarone came in as a replacement for defender Gareth Southgate and scored in the 34th. Mark Viduka tied it in the 64th and Chris Riggott put Middlesbrough ahead 3-2 in the 74th. With the aggregate tied and Steaua ahead on away goals, Maccarone got the decisive goal in the 89th.

In the quarterfinals, Maccarone scored the final goal in a 4-1 second-leg victory over Basel that overcame a 3-0 aggregate deficit.