Football: Dutch strikers in limelight

JIMMY FLOYD HASSELBAINK and Pierre van Hooijdonk, two Dutch strikers who made their mark on and off the field in England, were both on target for their new clubs in last night's Uefa Cup action.

Hasselbaink, who left Leeds United in controversial circumstances in the summer, scored Atletico Madrid's second goal in their comfortable 3-0 home win over Turkey's Ankaragucu. In another first round first- leg game, Van Hooijdonk, who was effectively on strike this time last year at Nottingham Forest, hit Vitesse Arnhem's first goal as the Dutch side gained a 2-1 away victory at Beira Mar of Portugal.

Efan Ekoku, the former Wimbledon and Norwich striker, scored the second goal as Roy Hodgson's Grasshopper Zurich enjoyed a 2-0 away win at AB Copenhagen.

The holders, Parma, beat Kryvbas Kryvih Rih 3-2 in Italy. The two away goals for the well-organised Ukrainians mean that a poor-looking Parma, without a win in Serie A this season, now have a tough fight on their hands to progress in the away leg. It could have been worse for them - their goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, twice had to make good diving saves in the final stages.

Juventus, the former European champions who were forced to qualify via the Intertoto Cup this season, thrashed Omonia Nicosia 5-2 in Cyprus. The Italian international striker Alessandro del Piero, easing back into the limelight after 10 months on the sidelines, came on as a second-half substitute and scored the fifth goal.

Ajax, who beat Juventus in the 1995 European Cup final, eased to a 6- 1 win over Slovakia's Dukla Banska Bystrica in Amsterdam.

The top scorers of the night were Roma, who thrashed Portugal's Vitoria Setubal 7-0 in the Italian capital. The Russian international striker Dimitri Alenichev led the scoring with a hat-trick.