THE first game to be played at St Mary’s Stadium lived up to the age-old adage of football being a game of two halves.
Espanyol came to spoil the party after Saints fell just short of a storming second-half fightback on August 1, 2001.
The Spanish side turned on the style as they raced into an electrifying 4-0 lead by half-time, with goals by Martin Posse, David Aganzo, Oscar Garcia and Antonio Soldevilla.
The occasion had clearly gotten the better of the Southampton squad as their flat first-half performance resulted in them being booed off the pitch during the interval.
But they showed far more fire after the break.
A hat-trick of substitutions on 54 minutes meant that fortunes changes, with all three subs combining to set up Kevin Davies for the honour of being the first Saints player to score at the new ground barely a minute later.
Uwe Rosler added the second with a flying header on 61 minutes and then nodded his second 16 minutes from time despite a thumping challenge from the keeper in the process.
The Friends Provident St.Mary's Stadium open's for The First Day. Saints V Espanyol Action.
Rosler almost got a hat-trick in injury time but just failed to turn in a cross by Stuart Ripley, who then volleyed over the bar moments later.
The final half-hour was broken up by a series of substitutions, but Saints at least gave their fans something to cheer after being outclassed in a one-sided first half.
Le Tissier trademark corner first game at St Marys Saints v Espanyol re-scan big file dig9156
The Spanish side were a yard sharper in every department, scoring four quality goals and slicing Saints open almost at will in front of then-England boss Sven Goran Eriksson.
The match finished 4-3 in Espanyol's favour, and although it wasn't the result Saints fans wanted to see, the squad's second-half performance was an excellent one.
Check out pictures from the day in the gallery above.
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