Dundee 4
KS Vllaznia 0
Aggregate: 6-0
Scorers: Novo (2, 88), Sara (41), Rae (48)
DUNDEE go in to today's UEFA Cup first-round draw hoping for a money-spinning match against a big club.
After the nuisance value of having to take on Albanian minnows KS Vllaznia to qualify, they will be praying the draw at lunchtime today in Monte Carlo is kind to them.
Dundee officials will fly in to Nice this morning then get on a private helicopter chartered by controversial club director Giovanni Di Stevano to take them to the draw. With debts of (pounds) 10.3m and rising, a cash-rich tie against such as Barcelona, Roma, Parma, or Liverpool would be welcome.
Beating the Albanian outfit in the qualifying round was always going to be a foregone conclusion, and the Dens Park club will be hoping the real fun begins when the name is drawn from the hat in the South of France today.
Amid the excitement surrounding the Old Firm's qualification for the Champions League the merits and importance of Dundee's UEFA Cup campaign has been pushed in to the background.
However, the opportunity of seeing their team in European action has clearly captured the imagination of the Dens Park faithful and they turned up in decent numbers to watch a mis-match.
The kick-off even had to be delayed to let the crowd of 8254 in to witness Dundee's first home game in Europe for 29 years.
With a 2-0 away win already under their belts, Jim Duffy's side simply had to go through the motions last night to ensure their qualification. It was therefore to their credit that they kept a tight rein on the game long after they needed to. The Albanian side had a few chances near the end but failed to get a consolation goal which would have made their trip to Tayside worthwhile.
Indeed, to keep Dundee to just four goals was a feat in itself considering the home side had taken the lead in only two minutes through Nacho Novo.
At that precise moment you had to feel sorry for the visiting officials and players, as you would have expected a Dundee goal rush. What was worse was that the Albanians played in replica Barcelona strips, but in truth performed more like a poor Scottish junior side.
They offered nothing whatsoever up front for the bulk of the game but their small knot of supporters seemed to enjoy the occasion. The only Albanian player who caught the eye was playmaker Evi Martini, who had a couple of flash touches to match his flashy green-and- white boots.
For Dundee it was a night of exhibition football, with one- touch passing moves, daft dribbles, and shots from crazy angles.
Even Lee Wilkie strode out from the back under the illusion thst he could play like Franz Beckenbauer, no doubt trying to impress national coach Berti Vogts, who watched from the stand.
In the end Dundee won as easily as was expected, but the quality of their goals was a pleasant surprise. The second came in 40 minutes through Juan Sara, who scored with his second touch after coming on just a minute earlier to replace injured Beto Carranza. Their third was the pick of the bunch and came through Gavin Rae, whose volley just after half-time went crashing in to the roof of the net.
Novo got his second goal two minutes from time to set the seal on an impressive Dundee performance, and all eyes at the club will now turn to Monte Carlo in expectation.
Duffy would have been pleased to see his side perform professionally right up to the final whistle. Once again their midfield was a joy to watch, with Georgi Nemsadze and Rae providing the engine-room which powered them to success.
The only slight worry he will have will be over the indiscipline which seems to afflict Lee Wilkie. He appeared to hit Edmir Luka with an arm when his side were 3-0 up. Luckily, the rush of blood was missed by referee Carlo Bertalini and the team's performance was not marred by a needless red card.
Dundee (4-4-2): Speroni; Mackay, Wilkie, Mair, Hernandez; Carranza, Nemsadze, Rae, Smith; Novo, Lovell. Subs: Langfield, Brady, Sara, Sancho, Hutchinson, Robertson, Boylan
KS Vllaznia (4-4-2): Grimaj; Zmijnia, Teli, Osjh, Luka; Salihi, Asllanay, Belisha, Cungu; Martini, Sinani. Subs: Mustafa, Hoti, Bisaja, Kraja, Mashi
Referee C Bertalina (Switzerland)
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