Ukrainian clubs break duck in style

Before Thursday night, a Ukrainian club had never reached the UEFA Cup quarter-finals, but then two – traditional powerhouses FC Dynamo Kyiv and FC Shakhtar Donetsk – made the last eight within half an hour of each other.

'Not afraid'
When Dynamo and FC Metalist Kharkiv were paired in the Round of 16, Ukraine's quarter-final duck was sure to end, but Shakhtar's effort to turn around their tie against former Soviet rivals PFC CSKA Moskva was an unexpected bonus for the country's football fans. Following Dynamo's landmark achievement, coach Yuri Semin believes there is no limit to what his side can achieve in this season's competition, saying: "After such a game we're not afraid of any other contenders."

Away goals win
It was actually the first game Dynamo had lost since 25 November, but the 3-2 defeat by their fellow Premier League outfit allowed them to progress on away goals. "I think both teams played really well today," added Semin, whose charges needed a 79th-minute own goal from Andriy Berezovchuk to seal their qualification. "Hopefully the fans enjoyed it although the home supporters won't be happy with the end result. Everything was against us tonight – we went two goals down twice but kept fighting and got there in the end."

Stoical Markevich
Metalist had to content themselves with victory on the night and the fact they were the first side to put three goals past Dynamo goalkeeper Stanislav Bogush in any match this season. "Firstly, I want to thank my players for our achievement," said coach Myron Markevich, whose side enjoyed a superb European campaign in what was only their third season in continental competition. "Nobody bet a penny on us before the [first round] match against Beşiktaş JK, but we made it this far. We were just ten minutes away from the next round, but that's football."

Team effort
Meanwhile, Shakhtar's 2-0 win against CSKA brought unequivocal praise from their coach, Mircea Lucescu. "We deserved to win today," the Romanian said, as goals from Fernandinho and Luiz Adriano helped the Pitmen overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit and reach the quarter-finals at the fourth attempt. "We prepared really well for this match. CSKA are such a talented team but didn't have a single chance tonight. Vágner Love, who is a great striker in my opinion, could do nothing. Our players deserve congratulations – the whole team played really well as a unit."

(From Website : http://www.uefa.com/competitions/uefacup/news/kind=1/newsid=812147.html)

Bremen quick on the draw in France

St-Etienne 2-2 Bremen

Werder Bremen booked their place in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals even if, three goals up in their last-16 tie after 28 minutes, they had to withstand a spirited comeback from AS Saint-Etienne.

Les Verts recovery
Thomas Schaaf's men appeared to be strolling towards Friday's draw in Nyon as they approached the half-hour mark, goals from Sebastian Prödl and Claudio Pizarro adding to Naldo's strike in last week's first leg to give them a 3-0 aggregate lead. It looked bleak for the majority at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, especially with home coach Alain Perrin having rested several of his first-choice team. However, Yohan Benalouane pulled one goal back midway through the second half and substitute Sébastien Grax made it 2-2 on the night late on, though even then the hosts still needed two more.

Aerial threat
The draw will give Perrin some hope as he focuses on lifting St-Etienne out of the Ligue 1 drop zone, even if his ploy of selecting several youngsters initially backfired. Prödl put the full-strength visitors firmly in the driving seat after just six minutes when he rose to head Torsten Frings' corner past Jérémie Janot and they were cruising when Pizarro nodded in Mesut Özil's left-wing cross just before the half-hour mark. The home fans showed their disapproval by turning their backs to the pitch; yet all, it seemed, they risked missing was another Bremen goal, with Markus Rosenberg going close.

Nervous finale
Yet the hosts recovered and centre-back Benalouane reduced the arrears on 64 minutes, rising unmarked to head in Cédric Varrault's far-post cross after Bremen had thrice failed to clear their lines. Jolted back into action, only a last-ditch clearance from Moustapha Bayal Sall kept out Diego's effort but it was St-Etienne who were doing most of the running and Bafétimbi Gomis and David Sauget both sent efforts just wide. Les Verts did get their equaliser when Grax fired in after being put through by fellow replacement Dimitri Payet, but it was too little, too late.

(From Website : http://www.uefa.com/competitions/uefacup/fixturesresults/round=15287/match=304835/report=rp.html)

No fears as Mears takes Marseille through

Ajax 2-2 Marseille

Tyrone Mears' extra-time header earned Olympique de Marseille a place in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals after AFC Ajax had cancelled out their first-leg deficit.

Birthday blues
Defending a 2-1 lead from the first meeting last week, the Ligue 1 side went behind in Amsterdam when Eyong Enoh scored just after the half-hour mark only for Mamadou Niang to put the visitors back in front in the tie two minutes later. Miralem Sulejmani forced an extra 30 minutes with a close-range header but it merely allowed English-born right-back Mears to come to the fore, earning victory in the 110th minute. Ajax, celebrating their 109th birthday, therefore fell just short, their misery compounded when Bruno Silva was dismissed in the dying moments.

Suárez attempts
Luis Suárez's first-leg penalty had given the hosts something to cling to and they stormed out of the blocks at the Amsterdam ArenA, with the Uruguayan at the hub of their most enterprising moves. He wasted a great chance in the fourth minute when, in space eight metres out, he headed straight at goalkeeper Steve Mandanda. Suárez nodded wide soon after and then squandered a third opportunity as his volley, from Silva's cross, failed to trouble the OM No30.

Quick response
The striker made amends as he set up Enoh's opener on 33 minutes, slipping a pass through the heart of the Marseille defence for the young Cameroonian, who beat the offside trap and shot low past Mandanda. The visitors were quickly level as Niang – who earlier had a goal disallowed for offside – ran on to Bakari Koné's pass and fired between Kenneth Vermeer legs and in.

Mears decider
Suárez continued to threaten after the break but was thwarted by Mandanda as OM struggled to retain possession in midfield, instead relying of defiant defending, and it took Sulejmani's 74th-minute goal to break their resolve. A free-flowing move ended with Suárez turning Vitorino Hilton and crossing for Sulejmani, who headed into an empty net. It was Mears, though, who had the last word with penalties looming, nodding in following Mamadou Samassa's flick-on.

(From Website : http://www.uefa.com/competitions/uefacup/fixturesresults/round=15287/match=304841/report=rp.html)