LISBON - Three second-half goals ensured CSKA Moscow became the first Russian side to win a European football trophy here on Wednesday as they beat Sporting Lisbon 3-1 in the UEFA Cup final.
The Russians - who were giving Chelsea owner and the major shareholder in their sponsors Sibneft Roman Abramovich consolation for his English side not winning the Champions League - came from 1-0 down to take the title.
Rogerio had given the Portuguese side a deserved lead in the first-half before CSKA replied through three second-half goals from Alexei Berezutsky, Yuri Zhirkov and their record 8million euro signing Brazilian striker Vagner Love.
It was a happy ending to Love's European campaign which had threatened to turn sour when in January he had said he wanted to leave because of the cold weather.
CSKA's coach Valery Dassayev said victory had proved his critics wrong.
"As we have won I think one can say that the coach can't be as bad as all that!
"The players held their nerve and we corrected several things in midfield from the first-half and got the reward we deserve.
"I hope now that this victory will prove a catalyst for other Russian clubs in the club competitions."
His Portuguese counterpart Jose Peseiro, who failed to give Portuguese clubs their third European trophy in as many seasons after FC Porto took the UEFA Cup and then the Champions League last year, said the crucial factor had been not turning their first-half dominance into goals.
"It is probably that which gave CSKA a glimmer of hope in that they could turn it around," he said.
"We still dominated them in the second-half but we lacked luck and luck is important in football.
"Defeat always teaches you things that you should improve on, but one thing I will not alter and that is my attack minded tactics," he added defiantly.
Sporting started brightly and forced three corners in the opening six minutes but the Russians were able to clear them.
Their Brazilian playmaker Fabio Rochemback - who was calling all the shots in midfield - had their first effort at goal in the eighth minute but it drifted wide.
Sporting's veteran captain Pedro Barbosa was booked by Graham Poll, the first Englishman to take charge of a European final since Philip Don in 1994, for deliberate obstruction on CSKA's Daniel Carvalho, but from the resulting freekick Alexei Berezutsky - playing alongside his twin brother Vassily in defence - sent his header wide of the post.
CSKA's captain Sergei Ignasevich saved his side in the 26th minute as his header at the near post went for a corner - Sporting's eighth of the contest so far - but prevented the incoming Beto from a certain goal.
However, Sporting got a deserved goal just before the half hour mark with Rogerio's superb effort. He seized on a loose ball outside the area and curled the ball past 19-year-old goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who was left rooted to the spot.
CSKA, though, missed a gilt edged chance to level two minutes from half-time as Ricardo's poor clearance found Carvalho, who passed to Ivica Olic and the Croat picked out Love but with the goal at his mercy the 21-year-old sidefooted it wide.
Sporting started the second-half in similarly dominant mode but Liedson was unable to put in a strong enough shot three minutes in, and then the CSKA nerves got to Akinfeev, who picked up the ball in what was a clear back pass by Ignasevich.
Sporting, though, got a wake up call that the Russians were not dead and buried as Love produced a spectacular volley which only just missed the top corner with Ricardo beaten.
That wake-up call became alarm bells in the 56th minute as Alexei Berezutsky got the slightest of touches to a freekick from Carvalho and beat Ricardo's despairing dive to level the match.
Carvalho was the creator of the second goal in the 66th minute as well, despite being nudged to the ground he managed to pass to Zhirkov, who unmarked advanced and slipped the ball under Ricardo to silence the home supporters.
CSKA sealed the trophy in a quite bizarre episode 15 minutes from time as Sporting looked to be set to equalise.
Tello put in a low cross to the far post with Akineev stranded and Rogerio simply had to tap it into the net but instead it hit the post and rebounded into a grateful Russian goalkeeper's hands.
Akineev cleared it immediately upfield to Carvalho and his low cross into the penalty area evaded Ricardo and there was Love to literally walk it into the net.
05/19/2005 00:30 GMT