UEFA Cup: German Pair and Olympiacos Closing In On Group Stage

The first round proper of the 2008-09 UEFA Cup opened Tuesday with the opening matches of three two-match sets.

Group One:

At Berlin:

Maximilian Nicu (50') and Cicero Santos (77') each scored once in the second half to lead Hertha Berlin to a 2-0 home win over Ireland's St. Patrick's Athletic FC in game one of their two-match series.

Group Eight:

At Farum, Denmark:

With goals in the second half from Konstantinos Mitroglou (74') and Sebastian Leto (90'+3), Olympiacos racked up a game-one 2-0 road win over FC Nordsjaelland.

Group Five:

At Nicosia, Cyprus:

FC Schalke 04 proved too much on the road for APOEL, taking their series opener 4-1. Heiko Westermann (25'), Ivan Rakitic (36'), Vicente Sanchez (41') each tallied in the first half. Halil Altintop added to the visitors' coffers with his 88th-minute score.