MIDDLESBROUGH are supporting a planning application to erect a supercasino on wasteland adjacent to the Riverside Stadium, but it seems reasonable to assume that, should approval be granted, Steve McClaren will not be a regular punter. Going for broke is an alien concept to the manager, whose leanings towards caution made for a queasy evening on Teesside.

Having qualified for the last 16 of the Uefa Cup for the second time in as many seasons, strident criticism of McClaren is unwarranted, but the reward of a glamorous fixture against AS Roma was balanced by the manner in which it was secured. The Yorkshireman praised his side’s “patience, discipline and concentration”, but nerves and desperation were more dominant qualities. “Experience got us through,” McClaren said, but it will take more than that to trouble Roma.

Given their struggle against relegation and place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, McClaren’s resources are being stretched and his priorities challenged, but in packing his midfield and putting his leading striker on the substitutes’ bench for what he termed “one of the most important matches in our history”, he played a dangerous game.

Middlesbrough could have conceded three early goals but they allowed only one, scored by Christian Tiffert, and while they clung on to progress on away goals, that was as much about good luck as anything else. They are better than this.

Leading 2-1 from the first leg, Middlesbrough should have been expecting an onslaught, yet cowering in the face of it was not an appropriate response. “It’s difficult when you’re winning to know what your approach should be,” McClaren said. “We were caught between going for another goal and defending.”

Stuttgart accepted the invitation. Poor form had prompted the recent dismissal of Giovanni Trapattoni, the former Italy head coach, but their record away from home spoke of lingering danger. As their defenders found themselves besieged during a lopsided first half, Middlesbrough failed to muster a single meaningful effort. “We couldn’t get a foothold,” Gareth Southgate, the captain, said.

The Germans poured forward, with Daniel Ljuboja, the striker who had claimed a late goal at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion, a persistent nuisance. In the fourth minute he speared a shot across the face of goal that was deflected to safety off Mark Schwarzer’s hip. He also found the side- netting with a vicious free kick and it was his vision that offered Stuttgart a route back into contention.

In miserable conditions, Middlesbrough lacked impetus or adventure and sat back, a policy for which they were punished after 13 minutes. A swift sequence of passes, the final one from Ljuboja, allowed Tiffert to sneak a neat touch beyond Stuart Parnaby and beat Schwarzer with ease.

Improvement followed in the second half. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink anticipated a pass by Lee Cattermole, wriggled into the area and struck Timo Hildebrand’s legs. While the finish went awry, it was at least refreshing to see a question asked of the goalkeeper.

With the breeze on their backs, the crowd lifted and time elapsing, Middlesbrough recovered and, simultaneously, Stuttgart’s deficit obliged them to eschew all hesitancy. The gaps in defence were appealing and, on the counter-attack, Hasselbaink stretched his markers to distraction. A square pass tempted Hildebrand off his line, but Mendieta’s shot was cleared by Markus Babbel.

Schwarzer grasped one long-range free kick from Ludovic Magnin to his chest and prodded another above the crossbar. The finale was an ugly combination of substitutions and chewed nails, but, in spite of themselves, Middlesbrough had done enough — just. “Our season stays alive,” Southgate said.

MIDDLESBROUGH (4-5-1): M Schwarzer — A Davies, C Riggott, G Southgate, F Queudrue — S Parnaby, G Mendieta (sub: U Ehiogu, 86min), G Boateng, L Cattermole, S Downing (sub: A Taylor, 90) — J F Hasselbaink (sub: Yakubu Ayegbeni, 86). Substitutes not used: B Jones, M Maccarone, A McMahon, M Viduka. Booked: Boateng, Mendieta, Cattermole.

VFB STUTTGART (4-1-4-1): T Hildebrand — A Hinkel, M Babbel, M Delpierre, L Magnin (sub: T Hitzlsperger, 80) — Z Soldo — C Tiffert, C Gentner, S Meissner (sub: Cacau, 75), J Gronkjaer (sub: M Gómez, 64) — D Ljuboja. Substitutes not used: D Heinen, H Gerber, M Carevic, A Beck. Booked: Tiffert.

Referee: E Braamhaar (the Netherlands).

ROUND OF 16

Rapid Bucharest v Hamburg
FC Basle v Strasbourg
Middlesbrough v AS Roma
Steaua Bucharest v Real Betis
Palermo v Schalke 04
Marseilles v Zenit St Petersburg
Udinese v Levski Sofia
Lille v Seville

• First legs to be played March 9
  Second legs to be played March 15/16