Rid of the burden
Bayer (Germany) - Lens (France) - 3: 0 (first match - 1: 2)
Away defeat 1: 2 left the “Bayer” is not much less likely than the “Lance”. Moreover, the French club designated the euro aspirations somehow blurry. On the eve of the game, his coach Francis Giglio said that he prioritizes maintaining the second position in the national championship, and the UEFA Cup is a concomitant burden, and you should seriously think about it only if you get into the top eight.
In such a situation, “Bayer” had no choice but to save the coach rivals from the burden of bifurcation. Attacks of the hosts were plain, but clearly accented. The stake was made on raids by the right flank, which became a headache for the guests. Chronicle of the most noteworthy episodes: 13th minute - Barnett at close range checks the stance for strength; 36th - Voronin from outside the penalty area shoots in cold blood at the bottom corner; 56th - Barbares from two meters freely kills the ball into the empty net (the Bosnian was assisted by Voronin, a second earlier hit the post); 70th - Juan effectively closes the transmission from the corner.
Even easier
Werder (Germany) - Celta (Spain) - 2: 0 (1: 0)
In the three remaining pairs, the receiving parties were even easier. At least they did not need to recoup. “Werder Bremen”, “Tottenham Hotspur” and “Osasuna” on March 8 achieved the strategic advantage in the first matches, and after 6 days they completed what was started.
Bremen from a position of strength dealt with the “Celta”. That in her jubilee, 50th, European Cup game was a pale shadow of a sabotage formation, which in the previous round derailed Spartak. As in the first match in Vigo, the winning ball in the asset of the Portuguese Hugo Almeida. Soon after the intermission, he successfully responded to the mounted feed. A few minutes later, Fritz robbed Nene and irresistibly struck into the far “bottom”, doubling the advantage.
Where are they without Berbatov?
Tottenham Hotspur (England) - Braga (Portugal) - 3: 2 (3: 2)
Generous with goals, Tottenham Hotspur and Braga copied the result of their first date. By the way, the “spurs” have never been burned at Portuguese clubs. History already knows four such two-match confrontations, and each time the “Tottenham Hotspur” celebrated the total victory. A “Braga", in turn, lost to the English teams all six fights. Well, at least, easy progress has been outlined. Previously, the Portuguese club had a shameful 0–12 difference in liabilities, but now it has started to score two goals per match.
In the ranks of “spurs” Dimitar Berbatov stood out again, taking a break in the first game. Now the Bulgarian participated in every goal scoring (double plus assists), confirming his special Euro Cup value. So, in the first round of the group stage, Dimitar was remembered as a goal and a pass in the rivalry with “Besiktas” (2: 0), in the second - “point” hat-trick (2 + 1) in the game against “Brugge” (3: 1), in the third - a victory ball for Bayer (1: 0), and in the fourth - a goal for Dynamo Bucharest. Recall that in the 1/16 finals Berbatov could not shine - “Tottenham” passed the disqualified “Feyenoord” without a fight.
Glasgow will be neutral
Osasuna (Spain) - Rangers (Scotland) - 1: 0 (1: 1)
In 1985, the Osasuna and Rangers crossed paths for the first time in the UEFA Cup. Then the Spaniards went further (0: 1 in a foreign field and 2: 0 in their native walls). After 22 years, the Scots have the opportunity to recoup their predecessors. However, the Pamplona won again. After 1: 1 in Glasgow, they were also happy with a goalless draw. But the plan was overfulfilled. The only ball held Cameroonian Webo. He kept watch for Weir’s oversight and upset goalkeeper McGregor.
Among other things, this meant that on May 16 at the final match in Glasgow, the field would be neutral for both trophy seekers.
The second series of repeat games of the 1/8 finals is on Thursday evening's program. The strongest players will be determined: Shakhtar and Sevilla (2: 2), AZ Alkmar and Newcastle (2: 4), Hispaniol and Haifa Maccabi (0: 0), Benfica and PSG (1: 2).
Denis ORLOV