UEFA Cup
February 27, 2009
Bremen have been struggling in the Bundesliga this season and looked to be on their way out of the UEFA Cup when an Andrea Pirlo penalty and a goal from Brazilian young-gun Pato gave the Rossoneri a 2-0 lead at the break.
However, a second-half double from Peru international Pizarro stunned the home crowd at the San Siro and levelled the tie at 3-3 on aggregate with Bremen progressing on the away goals rule.
The away goals rule means that the team which scores the most goals away from home in a two-leg tie will win in the case that both teams have scored an equal amount of goals over the two games.
'Efforts rewarded'
"We have finally been rewarded for all the effort we put in," said Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf, whose men will now meet French club St. Etienne, who themselves were 2-1 victors over Olympiakos of Greece for a 5-2 aggregate win.
SV Hamburg booked their place in the next round with 1-0 victory over Dutch side NEC Nijmegen. Holding a comfortable three-goal lead from the first leg, Croatia international Ivica Olic secured the 4-0 aggregate win when he scored the only goal of the game after just nine minutes.
German losses
Peguy Luyindula netted a brace as PSG enjoyed a 3-1 victory over VfL Wolfsburg to progress 5-1 on aggregate. The French now meet Braga of Portugal, who drew 1-1 with Standard Liege to progress 4-1 on aggregate.
Reigning UEFA Cup champions Zenit St. Petersburg remain in the hunt to defend their title after goals from Igor Semshov and Viktor Fayzulin secured a 2-1 victory over Germany's VfB Stuttgart to move the Russians into the next round 4-2 on aggregate.
There they will meet Italian club Udinese, who ensured their place in the next round with a 2-1 win over Lech Poznan of Poland to bag a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Villa, Spurs out
An Aston Villa squad packed with reserves lost 2-0 to Russian outfit CSKA Moscow, who progress 3-1 on aggregate.
Martin O'Neill's English side went into the second-leg clash in Moscow with the tie finely poised at 1-1, but fell behind on the 66-minute mark after Yuri Zhirkov played a one-two with Alan Dzagoev before firing past Villa's US goalkeeper Brad Guzan.
Tournament top scorer Vagner Love made it 2-0 in injury time to register his 10th UEFA Cup goal of the season.
Tottenham Hotspur missed out on a chance to meet CSKA in the round of 16 after a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk saw the Ukrainians progress 3-1 on aggregate.
City progress
It wasn't all doom and gloom for English clubs however, with a late brace from Welshman Craig Bellamy seeing Manchester City overcome FC Copenhagen 2-1 at home to win 4-3 on aggregate.
City will face Danish opposition once again in the competition's next round, scheduled for March 12, following Aalborg's 3-1 win over Spanish outfit Deportivo La Coruna for a comprehensive 6-1 aggregate win.
Ukrainians through
Metalist Kharkiv beat Sampdoria 2-0 to move into the last 16 thanks to a 3-0 aggregate win.
The Ukrainians held a one-goal lead from their first-leg tie in Italy and promptly took full control against the Blucerchiati thanks to a strike on the half-hour mark from Serhiy Valyayev and a free kick from Brazilian Jaja five minutes before the break.
Compatriots Dynamo Kiev await in the next round after a 2-2 draw over Spain's Valencia ensured a 3-3 aggregate win on the away goals rule.
Galatasaray squeeze through
Turkish giants Galatasaray suffered a major fright against Bordeaux in Istanbul before eventually prevailing 4-3 on the night and on aggregate thanks to a last-minute goal from Sabri Sarioglu.
David Bellion gave the visitors the perfect start, firing Bordeaux ahead after just 12 seconds following a defensive error. But two goals from Arda Turan -- with a spectacular long-range goal from Australian Harry Kewell sandwiched in between -- saw Galatasaray race into a 3-1 lead.
However two goals in two minutes from Fernando Cavenaghi and Marouane Chamakh looked to have booked Bordeaux's place in the next round on the away goals rule until Sarioglu's strike. A tie against Hamburg now awaits Buelent Korkmaz's men.
Marseille progressed on penalties to make their way past Dutch team FC Twente after the tie finished 1-1 on aggregate at the end of extra time.
Ben Arfa scored the only goal of the game for Marseille to set up the tense final stanza, with French club prevailing 7-6 in the shootout after Slobodan Rajkovic missed his spot kick.
A 1-1 draw against Fiorentina was enough for Ajax to progress 2-1 on aggregate and set up a clash with Marseille.
Round of 16 return legs take place March 18 and 19.
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