Fiorentina 0-0 Steaua Bucharest

La Viola huffed and puffed but they were not able to blow the house down as a well organised and resilient Steaua side frustrated their opponents to come away with a well deserved point...Fiorentina came into this game hoping to make amends for the 2-2 draw at Stade Gerland in match day one. It was the Viola's first home game in the Champions League 'proper' for almost a decade. Both teams walked out of the tunnel to the roar of the sold out Artemio Franchi and expectations were high. First Half Both sides began brightly knowing the pressure to perform was on. Cesare Prandelli spoke of gaining maximum points before the game and he was hoping to celebrate La Viola's return with a win. However, it was the Romanian travellers who had the first chance to draw first blood early on after Semedo won a free kick. Nicolita struck it towards goal but it was all to easy for Frey. The game was hyped up prior to kick off with expectations of a speedy start by the home side but it was not. Steaua were organised well and set up to frustrate the Viola. Mutu had a fine chance drop to him when good work by Almiron and Gilardino culminated in a decent opening but the striker took his time on the ball and was quickly closed down. Fiorentina began to settle into the game and they started to play with rhythm and good speed as they worked the ball as well as their opponents. Zapata was the busiest of the two goalkeepers early on and he was called into action by Gilardino. The Colombian pulled off a world class save after Jorgensen cut the ball back superbly for the hit-man. Gila was first to the ball but his great strike was matched by the 'Keeper. Steaua were doing well at the back when coming under the cosh but they were never really threatening the Viola too much. Chances were few and far between but Semedo should have given his team the lead against the run of play when he found himself in front of Frey but he couldn't find the right finish. At times Fiorentina looked like they lacked a bit of spark to the game but they were patient in the build up and played simple but effective football which would have worked had Mutu timed his runs a little better. Prandelli was up in arms and dancing around in frustration as his side created plenty but were not cynical enough in front of goal. The home side always looked likely to score as Mutu and Gilardino ran the show. The Romanian smashed a sublime volley as he latched onto Montolivo's pass but it was not accurate enough to beat the goalkeeper. The half ended like a damp squib as both sides went into the break goalless. Second Half Viola started from where they had left off. Prandelli introduced Zauri for Jorgensen. The Danish midfielder, who was playing in defence, had a shocking first 45 minutes. The introduction of the former Lazio man balanced things out. Fiorentina began to apply the pressure and slowly but surely it started to take its toll on the Romanians as they began lunging in and gave away need less fouls in the process. Santana used his trickery to dazzle Goian but the resulting free kick was poor. The Italians were always in control of the game and they created chance after chance but they were not able to penetrate enough. Steaua created the odd sporadic chance but they never looked like scoring as the Fiorentina defence had everything under control. Semodo was the danger man for the visitors but he missed the half chance which fell to him. Gilardino won a free kick on the edge of the box just after the hour mark after a good run. The striker was always being hacked down but Mutu's effort came back off the post as the Viola's bad luck continued. Steaua seemed like they were just there to take a point. They were not interested in throwing caution to the wind and going for the win, but they just sat back and soaked up the pressure as Fiorentina continued to bang on the door. Down the other end Frey pulled off a double great save from Semedo to stop his side from being embarrassed by the visitors. The Romanians held on despite the Italian onslaught to come away with a well deserved point. The stalemate is not the result Fiorentina wanted as they drop more points on the continent. Teams Fiorentina 4-3-3: Frey, Jorgensen(Zauri), Gamberini, Dainelli, Vargas, Almiron(Kuzmanovic), Felipe Melo, Montolivo(Pazzini), Santana, Gilardino, Mutu. Steaua Bucharest 4-4-1-1: Zapata, Ogararu, Ghionea, Goian, Marin, Nicolita, Radoi, Lovin, Stancu(Szekely), Moreno Galindo(Gomes), Semedo(Kapetanos).