Saha goal fails to brighten sad farewell

Whether or not Fulham return to Craven Cottage, yesterday's dreary fare was no way to say either goodbye or au revoir to such a beloved old friend. Almost 3,000 fewer well-wishers turned up than for the previous round of the Intertoto Cup, against Finland's Haka two weeks ago, and the only consolation in an even poorer game was a late goal from Louis Saha to take into the second leg in Greece next Saturday.

If they reach the next round, which will be one of the semi-finals, the home leg on Wednesday week will be at Loftus Road, where Fulham must be tenants, expensively, for at least the next two seasons. The redevelopment costs are rising so fast down by the riverside that they could conceivably end up in a new stadium altogether.

Against Haka, Jean Tigana's team had created a dozen chances without taking one, eventually scraping through on an away goal last Sunday. Swapping the 4-3-3 used on that occasion, with Steve Marlet wastefully deployed out wide, for 4-4-2 gave them a solid look but no greater penetration. This time Marlet played down the middle with the £2 million Argentinian Facundo Sava, who again made no impression and was substituted at half-time.

Neither Junichi Inamoto nor Martin Djetou, the two foreigners signed last week on a year's loan, was ready to play. Their arrival was the bright spot in a week in which signs of tension off the field became more evident by the day – notably in the relationship between Tigana and Franco Baresi, the man brought in as director of football with a strange set of responsibilities, including the women's team.

A news conference on Friday brought a curious moment when Tigana said that he had bought only two players this summer, the possible implication being that Baresi had been responsible for bringing in Sava, who had been equally unimpressive on his debut against Haka and was left out of the second leg.

This time there were fewer scoring chances, Steed Malbranque coming closest in the first half by volleying Luis Boa Morte's cross into the ground and up on to the crossbar.

Sylvain Legwinski and Louis Saha, introduced for the second half, briefly livened up proceedings, but the disease of wanting an extra pass rather than shooting seemed to have spread as far as the substitutes' bench. There was even a nasty moment when Edwin van der Sar, surprisingly back in the side after Tigana had said he was not fully recovered from an elbow operation, was forced to make his one save of the match, from Ioannis Chloris.

It was not until the 77th minute that the breakthrough came. Barry Hayles, the third home substitute, crossed at the second attempt and Saha had sufficient space to control the ball and drive it wide of Mahamadou Cidibe, the excellent Mali goalkeeper.

The announcement that tickets for the away leg would be on sale after the game was greeted with guffaws.

Fulham 1 Egaleo 0
Saha 77

Half-time: 0-0 Attendance: 5,199