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Leeds' hopes of UEFA Cup glory this season were rocked in the first leg first round tie against Portuguese side Maritimo.

The hosts had finished a lowly 10th in last year's Portuguese league - qualifying for this competition after losing to league runners-up Porto in the Cup Final.

But Bruno Fernandes winning goal from a 40-yard first-half free kick was as soft as the threat posed by the Englishmen, who looked completely out of sorts throughout.

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson added to his burgeoning air miles collection to take his place in the main stand, but he would have see little to enthuse about in the performances of Danny Mills, captain Rio Ferdinand and Nigel Martyn.

The latter made the first meaningful save of the game in the 19th minute fisting away a swerving 25-yard angled free-kick from Brazilian Dinda.

Quim then glanced a header narrowly wide, before Leeds were made to pay for their all to evident lethargy.
 
Fernandes lofted a hopeful free-kick into the area from a central positon 40 yards out.

Dominic Matteo failed to make contact while under pressure from Mitchell van der Gaag, and his inadvertent 'dummy' allowed  the ball to drift inside Martyn's left-hand post to the keeper's embarassment and Fernandes' obvious delight.

Quim then blazed over form point-blank range, before Ian Harte gave the travelling support a glimmer of hope with a 25-yard free-kick that tested Nelson.

David O'Leary's only change during the break was to swap Mills and Gary Kelly round, with the latter now at right-back, but the visitors, the driving force of Lee Bowyer and Olivier Dacourt sorely lacking, could find no way through a resolute home rearguard.

Jason Wilcox then came on for Stephen McPhail just before the hour, but Martyn continued to be the busier keeper, showing great alertness to turn away a searing 20-yard angled drive from the impressive Quim.

In the final minutes, a mini-Leeds revival; Mark Vidka saw his drive from the edge of the area blocked, and Robbie Keane was denied by a fine stop from the keeper.

In truth, an equaliser would have been scarcely deserved. The only consolation for the Yorkshiremen is that they can't play as poorly in the home leg - can they?

Maritimo: Nelson, Albertino, Sergio, Zeca, Dinda (Santos 85), Andre. (Alan 75), Fernandes Bruno, Quim (Gaucho 61), Briguel, Kenedy, van der Gaag.
Subs Not Used: Gilmar, Lino, Shannon, Arriola.

Leeds: Martyn, Kelly, Matteo, Ferdinand, Harte, Mills, Batty, McPhail (Wilcox 57), Kewell, Keane, Viduka.
Subs Not Used: Robinson, Duberry, Burns, Maybury, Woodgate.
Booked: McPhail, Kelly.

Att: 10,500
Ref: Jack Van Hulten (Holland).

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