Boro are unbeaten away from home in the Uefa Cup this season

"It was a great European peformance," said McClaren after Yakubu's first-half penalty decided the match.

"It was a performance full of concentration and discipline, though I'm a little bit disappointed we didn't manage to get that second goal.

"Half the job is done and the tie is very evenly balanced - we're capable of scoring away from home."

Roma keeper Gianluca Curci was penalised for bringing down Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who seemed to go to ground easily.

The Dutch striker admitted: "You see the goalkeeper coming and you know you have a really small angle to shoot so the only opportunity was for me to dribble.

"To be fair he touched me and I couldn't keep my balance so I had to do what I had to do."

Hasselbaink, however, admitted Boro were still only halfway there as they attempt to reach the quarter-finals.

He added: "I think we are very confident the tie is very far from over, we still have a lot to do.

"I think we played very well, we didn't give one chance away and we created a few chances. We were in control.

"Everyone was so focused and determined, we really wanted it."