NEC Nijmegen managed to hold Dinamo Bucharest to a draw in the return leg of the first round of the UEFA Cup. In a hard fought match NEC's main focus was not to concede. Dinamo played better than two weeks ago and came close to opening the score several times in the first hour of play. Nonetheless the Dutch put up a fierce fight and created some chances themselves. In the end neither managed to score though. Over two matches NEC Nijmegen deserve to go through to the group stage, they played two solid matches and did well not to concede at home while scoring once. Dinamo relied on their home advantage but failed to really make better use of it. They did get some decent chances in but lacked a little luck.

Backed by an impressive crowd Dinamo only started playing fully on the offensive in the second half and the best chances could be seen after the break. Though overall the hosts didn't create enough chances and when they did they lacked the proper finishing. NEC started again in a rather offensive 4-3-3 formation with two quick wingers up front. Manager Been relied on their speed to pose danger on the counter attack. Despite not having much European experience the Nijmegen outfit played really mature and disciplined.

Dinamo had trouble taking the initiative in the opening fase. In fact it was NEC who looked the least nervous and played the ball around comfortably. They also accounted for the first few chances through Tshibamba. After an hour of play NEC defender Zomer made a mistake in defense and Danciulescu suddenly found himself one on one with Babos. Babos failed to stop his shot but the cross bar saved him. On the other side Van Beukering hit the post with a long distance effort. After the break Dinamo started to take more risks and NEC lost control. Bratu and Niculae aimed their efforts just wide while Cesar saw a header being saved from the goal line by a NEC defender. NEC only recovered when Been brought on Kivuvu and Schone after twenty minutes. The visitors now held a little more ball possession. In the remainder of the match the NEC crowd only had to hold their breath one more time when Danciulescu found himself open in front of goal for the second time. Though this time he aimed high over. NEC also got some decent chances in the last quarter of the match as they made good use of the spaces left behind the Dinamo defense. Schone came closest to scoring but his effort bounced off the cross bar.

Dinamo Bucharest only played one decent half in a total of two matches. They were too inconsistant to really up set NEC and can therefore only blame themselves. NEC did a great job by qualifying for the group stage for the first time in their history. Despite their lack of experience the squad really fought for each other and worked really hard to get a result. They played two disciplined game and were rewarded in the end.