Jadson's Goals Propels Shakhtar To UEFA Cup Title

At Istanbul, Turkey:

An overtime goal from Jadson (97') powered Shakhtar Donetsk to a 2-1 triumph over Werder Bremen to win the championship of the final edition of the UEFA Cup on Wednesday. The tournament will be renamed the Europa League next season. Luiz Adriano also scored for Shakhtar (25'). Naldo put Werder on the scoreboard at 35 minutes. Pictured here are jubilant Shakhtar players with the prize.

Getty Images Photo.

UEFA Cup Semifinals Start: Shaktar Gain Road Draw In Opener; Pete Trochowski Uses Noggin To Bop Werder In Opener Of All-German Semi

The semifinal round of the UEFA Cup commenced Thursday with two contests.

At Kiev, Ukraine:

Luis Fernardinho's equalizer in 68 minutes lifted Shakhtar Donetsk to a 1-1 road draw with Dynamo Kiev in game one of the clubs' two-match semifinal series.

At Bremen, Germany:

Hamburg paid a visit on Werder Bremen in the series opener for the two clubs and knocked them off 1-0 with Piotr Trochowski scoring the game's lone goal at 28 minutes with his noggin.

We Now Know It Will Be A German Team Versus A Ukrainian Team In The UEFA Cup Final

The UEFA Cup's quarterfinal round concluded Thursday with the second match in each of the four series.

At Kiev, Ukraine:

After a scoreless draw in Paris last week, Dynamo Kiev displayed all the goalpower as they defeated visiting PSG 3-0 in game two to take the two-game set by that same score on aggregate. Ismael Bangoura (4') and Ognjen Vukojevic (61') tallied for the club from the Ukrainian capital.

At Marseille, France:

With goals from Fernandinho (30') and Luis Adriano (90'+3), Shakhtar Donetsk racked up a 2-1 road win in game two to wrap up their two-match series with Marseille 4-1 on aggregate.

At Udine, Italy:

Diego's double (28', 60') helped Werder Bremen gain a 3-3 road deadlock with Udinese in game two, enabling the German club to win their two-game series 6-4 on aggregate.

At Manchester, England:

Jose Paolo Guerrero provided the key goal at 12 minutes as Hamburg, despite dropping a 2-1 road decision to Manchester City, still won their two-match set with the Citizens 4-3 on aggregate.

The semifinal round will begin on April 30, with Werder Bremen hosting Hamburg and Dynamo Kiev hosting Shakhtar Donetsk in the opening games of their respective two-match series.

3-1 Home Wins For German Clubs As UEFA Cup Quarterfinals Begin

The quarterfinal round of the UEFA Cup commenced Thursday.

At Donetsk, Ukraine:

Goals from Tomas Hubschman (39') and Jadson (65') paced Shakhtar Donetsk to a 2-0 series-opening home win over Marseille.

At Paris:

Dynamo Kiev held Paris Saint-Germain to a 0-0 draw on the road in game one of the two clubs' two-match set.

At Hamburg, Germany:

Piotr Trochowski had a hand in all three Hamburg goals, scoring one himself (PK-63') and assisting the other two scores----Joris Mathijsen (9') and Paolo Guerrero (79')---as HSV overtook visiting Manchester City 3-1 in game one.

At Bremen, Germany:

Diego's double (34', 67') paced Werder Bremen to a 3-1 series-opening home win over Udinese.

Quarterfinal and Semifinal Round Draw For UEFA Cup

Also at Nyon Switzerland, the draw for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the UEFA Cup took place.

The two-match quarterfinal round series will be played on April 9 and 16.  Here are the matchups with the club hosting the opening matches listed first.

Hamburg vs. Manchester City

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Dynamo Kiev

Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Marseille

Werder Bremen vs. Udinese

Here are the matchups for the semifinal round, with the matches to take place on April 30 and May 7.

Werder Bremen-Udinese winner vs. Hamburg-Manchester City winner

PSG-Dynamo Kiev winner vs. Shkatar Donetsk-Marseille winner

UEFA Cup:

The UEFA Cup's Round of 16 concluded Thursday.

At Kharkov, Ukraine:

Andriy Berezovchuk's own goal (79'), combined with Goran Sabljic's tally (68') enabled Dynamo Kiev to advance to the quarterfinal because of the away goals rule, despite dropping game two on the road 3-2 to fellow Ukranian club FC Metalist Kharkiv, as each team scored three goals on aggregate in the two-match series.

At Donetsk, Ukraine:

Thanks to goals from Fernandinho (PK-54') and Luis Adriano (70'), Shakhtar Donetsk overturned the 1-0 road deficit in Moscow to win game two at home 2-0 and win their two-match set with CSKA Moscow 2-1 on aggregate.

At Saint Petersburg, Russia:

Despite dropping game two 2-1 on the road to Zenit Saint Petersburg (whose Anatoliy Tymoshchuk scored at 34 minutes), Udinese still won their two-match set 2-1 on aggregate.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Hamburg, thanks to tallies from Jose Paolo Guerrero (57', 60') and Ivica Olic (90'), defeated Galatasaray 3-2 in game two on the road and won their two-match set 4-3 on aggregate.

At Aalborg, Denmark:

Despite dropping a 2-0 road decision in game two to Aalborg BK (Luton Shelton [85'] and Michael Jakobsen [90'+1] being the goal scorers), Manchester United, with the series deadlocked 2-2 on aggregate, still advanced after winning the penalty-kick shootout 4-3. Goalkeeper Shey Given saved penalty kick attempts from Luton Shelton and Thomas Augustinussen to punch the Citizens' ticket for Friday's draw.

At Braga, Portugal:

Guillaume Hoarau scored the only goal of the match (81') to power Paris Saint-Germain to a 1-0 road win in game two-----and a two-match series win over Sporting Braga 1-0 on aggregate.

Marseille and Werder Bremen Reach UEFA Cup Quarterfinals

Two Round of 16 two-match series concluded Wednesday:

At Saint-Etienne, France:

Goals from Sebastian Prodl (6') and Claudio Pizarro (27') helped Werder Bremen to withstand a furious comeback attempt by Saint-Etienne to gain a 2-2 road draw in game two and win their two-game set 4-3 on aggregate.

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

After Miralem Sulejmani's goal at 74 minutes lifted Ajax Amsterdam to a 2-1 home win in game two to deadlock the series 3-3 on aggregate, Tyrone Mears' overtime header (110') enabled visiting Marseille to win the series 4-3 after two overtime periods.

UEFA Cup: Round of 16 Commences

The Round of 16 in the UEFA Cup began Thursday with the opening contests of the eight two-game total-goals sets.

At Moscow:

Vagner Love's successful penalty kick at 50 minutes lifted CSKA Moscow to a 1-0 game one home victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.

At Kiev, Ukraine:

In the opening match between two Ukrainian clubs, Ognjen Vukojevic's header (54') lifted Dynamo Kiev to a game one home win over FC Metalist Kharkiv.

At Hamburg, Germany:

Marcell Jansen equalizer at 50 minutes enabled Hamburg to salvage a 1-1 home draw in game one versus Galatasaray. Ayhan Akman provided the Turkish club with a precious away goal at 33 minutes.

At Paris:

Portugal's Sporting Braga held Paris Saint-Germain to a 0-0 game one deadlock in the French capital.

At Bremen, Germany:

Nando provided the only goal of game one (20') as Werder Bremen bested visiting Saint-Etienne 1-0.

At Udine, Italy:

Goals from Fabio Quagliarella (85') and Antonio Di Natale (PK-88') enabled Udinese----the lone Italian club still in European competition----to handle visiting Zenit Saint Petersburg 2-0 in game one.

At Manchester, England:

Manchester City, with goals from Felipe Caicedo (8') and Shawn Wright-Phillips (30'), took game one 2-0 at home against Aalborg BK, as the Citizens look to polish off another Danish club.

At Marseille, France:

Benoit Cheyrou (19') and Mamadou Niang (33') provided the scoring power that led Marseille to a 2-1 home win in game one over Ajax Amsterdam. The Dutch powers, however, stayed in the two-match series with an away goal from Luis Suarez (PK-36')

UEFA Cup: Horses Eliminate Villa; Spurs Lose; Citizens Win; Werder Comeback Stuns Milan; PSG, Saint-Etienne, Marseille All Advance; AaB and Zenit Too

The UEFA Cup Round of 32 concluded Thursday:

At Kharkov, Ukraine:

Goals courtesy of Serhiv Valyeyev (30'), and Jaja (40') powered FC Metalist Kharkiv to a 2-0 home win in game two of their two-match series with Sampdoria, enabling the Yellow-Blue to take their two-match series 3-0 on aggregate.

At Valencia, Spain:

Thanks to Artem Kravets' double (34', 73') Dynamo Kiev gained a game-two 2-2 road draw with Valencia, enabling them to take the two-match set on away goals, though the two clubs each scored three goals on aggregate. Next up for Dynamo, a Round-of-16 two-match encounter with fellow Ukranian club Metalist.

At Moscow:

Powered by tallies from Yuri Zhirkov (61') and Vagner Love (90'+3), CSKA Moscow defeated Aston Villa 2-0 at home in game two to take the two-match set 3-1 on aggregate.

At London:

Fernardinho's 86th-minute tally enabled Shakhtar Donetsk to gain a 1-1 game-two road draw with Tottenham Hotspur. The Ukranian club took their two-set series 3-1 on aggregate and earned the right to take on CSKA Moscow in the Round-of-16.

At Hamburg, Germany:

Ivica Olic scored the only goal of match two (9') as Hamburg blanked visiting NEC Nijmegen 1-0 to finish off the Dutch club on aggregate 4-0.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

After a scoreless opening match in France last week, game two provided a goalfest as Galatasaray defeated Bordeaux 4-3 at home to take the series on aggregate by the same goal. Arda Turan scored twice (43', 65'), Harry Kewell tallied once (45'), and Sabri Sarioglu, at 90 minutes, provided the game---and series---winner for Galatasaray, who will next face Hamburg in the eighthfinals.

At Enschede, Netherlands:

After Hatem Ben Arfa's goal at 24 minutes deadlocked the series (1-1, with each team scoring once on the road) to force what proved to be a scoreless half-hour of overtime, Marseille won the penalty-kick shootout 7-6 to advance to the Round-or-16 at FC Twente's expense.

At Amsterdam:

Leonardo scored the series-winning goal at 88 minutes as Ajax gained a 1-1 home draw in game two with Fiorentina to win their two-match set 2-1 on aggregate and set up a Round-of-16 encounter with Marseille.

At Wolfsburg, Germany:

Peguy Luyindula's double (PK-38', 73') helped propelled Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-1 road win in game two, which allowed the club from the French capital to win their two-match set with VfL Wolfsburg on aggregate, 5-1.

At Liege, Belgium:

Luis Aguilar's goal at 88 minutes helped gain a 1-1 game-two road draw for Sporting Braga, who won their two-match set with Standard de Liege 4-1 on aggregate. The Portuguese club (who won the Intertoto Cup by lasting the longest in the UEFA Cup among survivors from that now-defunct competition) will next face PSG.

At Milan, Italy:

Claudio Pizarro's second-half double (68', 78') enabled Werder Bremen to come back from a two-goal deficit to gain a 2-2 road draw in game two against AC Milan. The German club won the series because of the away goals (2-1) rule even the two clubs each scored three goals in the two-match set.

At Saint-Etienne, France:

Goals from Dimitri Payet (45') and Ilan (58') lifted Saint-Etienne to a 2-1 home win in game two over Olympiacos, thus enabling the French club to win their two-match set on aggregate, 5-2. Up next for Les Verts: Werder Bremen.

At Stuttgart, Germany:

Zenit Saint Petersburg racked up a second 2-1 win in game two of this series, this time on the road over VfB Stuttgart as the Russian club won the series 4-2 on aggregate. Igor Semshov (42') and Viktor Fayzulin (86') provided the defending UEFA Cup holders with the goals.

At Udine, Italy:

Udinese won their two-match set with Poland's Lech Poznan 4-3 on aggregate, this, after claiming game two at home 2-1. Simone Pepe (57') and Antonio Di Natale (90'+1) provided the Little Zebras with the goals that sent them into a Round-or-16 matchup with Zenit Saint Petersburg.

At Manchester, England:

Craig Bellamy's double (73', 80') lifted Manchester City to a 2-1 home win in game two over FC Copenhagen, enabling the Citizens to capture their two-match series 4-3 on aggregate.

At La Coruna, Spain:

Thanks to goals from Luton Shelton (41'), Andreas Johansson (45'), and Thomas Enevoldsen (45'+1), all in the first half, Aalborg BK completed their two-game dismemberment of Deportivo La Coruna, winning game two 3-1 on the road, and the series 6-1 on aggregate. AaB would become the second straight Danish club to face Manchester City, this time in the Round-of-16.

UEFA Cup: More Round Of 32 Action

The five remaining two-match Round of 32 sets in the UEFA Cup began on Thursday:

At Poznan, Poland:

Two late goals from Hernan Rengifo (81') and Manuel Arboleda (84') enabled Lech Poznan to erase a two-goal deficit and salvage a 2-2 home draw with Italy's Udinese in game one of the two clubs' two-match series.

At Shakhtar, Ukraine:

Yevgen Seleznov (79') and Jadson (88') provided the late scoring punch that lifted Shakhtar Donetsk to a 2-0 home triumph in game one at Tottenham Hotspur's expense.

At Copenhagen, Denmark:

Martin Vingaard scored the game-tying goal (90'+1), to go along with Ailton Almeida's 56th-minute tally, thus enabling FC Copenhagen to salvage a 2-2 game-one home draw with Manchester City. The Citizens, though, have the advantage because of two big road goals in the match, scored by Nedum Onuoha (29') and Stephen Ireland (61').

At Marseille, France:

Marko Arnautovic scored the only goal of the match (2'), lifting FC Twente to a 1-0 series-opening road win over Marseille.

At Florence, Italy:

Kennedy Bakircioglu's goal at 60 minutes was the lone score of game one, which saw Ajax Amsterdam register a 1-0 road win over Fiorentina.

UEFA Cup Knockout Stage Starts

Eleven of the two-match home-and-away series that make up the Round of 32 in the UEFA Cup commenced Wednesday:

At Kiev, Ukraine:

David Silva scored a precious away goal at 8 minutes, enabling Sevilla to gain a 1-1 road draw in game one of their two-match set with Dynamo Kiev.

At Saint Petersburg, Russia:

First-half tallies courtesy of Szabolcs Huszti (2') and Anatoliy Tymoshchuck (45+3') enabled Zenit Saint Petersburg to hold off visiting VfB Stuttgart 2-1 in game one.

At Athens, Greece:

Powered by goals from Ilan (12'), Geoffrey Dernis (43'), and Bafetimbi Gomis (90'+1), Saint-Etienne picked up a big opening-match win, 3-1 on the road over Olympiacos.

At Birmingham, England:

CSKA Moscow and hosts Aston Villa battled to a 1-1 game-one draw. Vagner Love put the Horses up 1-0 with his 14th minute goal, but Villa's John Carew tied the game at 69 minutes.

At Breman, Germany:

Diego's 84th-minute tally enabled Werder Bremen to salvage a game-one 1-1 home draw with AC Milan. The Rossoneri got on the scoreboard first Filippo Inzaghi's goal at 36 minutes.

At Genoa, Italy:

To go along with their relegation battle domestically, Sampdoria came up on the short end of a 1-0 game-one battle with visiting FC Metalist Kharkiv. Denys Oliynik scored the game's only goal during first-half stoppage time (45'+3)

At Nijmegen, Netherlands:

Goals from Piotr Trochowski (41'), Alex Silva (45'), and Ivica Olic (75') enabled Hamburg to overpower NEC Nijmegen 3-0 on the road in the two clubs' opening match.

At Paris:

A late second-half double from Guillaume Hoarau (80', 83') powered Paris Saint-Germain to a 2-0 home one win in game one against VfL Wolfsburg.

At Bordeaux, France:

Visiting Galatasaray and Bordeaux battled to a 0-0 stalemate in game one.

At Aalborg, Denmark:

Anders Due scored twice (53', 71') and Michael Jakobsen added a successful penalty kick at 90 minutes as Aalborg BK cruised past Deportivo La Coruna 3-0 at home in game one.

At Braga, Portugal:

Renteria (17'), Andre Leone (27'), and Luis Aguiar (84') each tallied once as Sporting Braga belted visiting Standard de Liege 3-0 in match one of the clubs' two-match set.

At Least Chelsea Won't Be Playing Barca In The Round of 16

Here are the matchups for the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League as determined by Friday's draw at Nyon, Switzerland, with the host club of the opening match of the two-game home-and-away sets listed first.

Atletico Madrid vs. FC Porto

Lyon vs. Barcelona

Arsenal vs. AS Roma

Inter Milan vs. Manchester United

Real Madrid vs. Liverpool

Chelsea vs. Juventus

Villarreal vs. Panathinaikos

Sporting vs. Bayern Munich

The opening matches will take place on February 24 and 25, with the return contests on March 10 and 11.

They also held the drawings for the first two knockout rounds of the UEFA Cup on Friday.

Round of 32 matchups with the host club of the opening match listed first:

Paris Saint Germain vs. VfL Wolfsburg

FC Copenhagen vs. Manchester City

NEC Nijmegen vs. Hamburg

Sampdoria vs. Metalist

Sporting Braga vs. Standard de Liege

Aston Villa vs. CSKA Moscow

KKS Lech Poznan vs. Udinese

Olympiacos vs. Saint-Etienne

Fiorentina vs. Ajax Amsterdam

Aalborg BK vs. Deportivo La Coruna

Werder Bremen vs. AC Milan

Bordeaux vs. Galatasaray

Dynamo Kiev vs. Valencia

Zenit Saint Petersburg vs. VfB Stuttgart

Marseille vs. FC Twente

Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Tottenham Hotspur

The fun starts on February 18 and 19 with the return legs on February 26.

Here are the matchups for the Round of 16:

Werder Bremen/AC Milan vs. Olympiacos/Saint-Etienne

Aston Villa/CSKA Moscow vs. Shakhtar Donetsk/Tottenham Hotspur

Lech Poznan/Udinese vs. Zenit Saint Petersburg/VfB Stuttgart

PSG/VfL Wolfsburg vs. Sporting Braga/Standard de Liege

Dynamo Kiev/Valencia vs. Sampdoria/FC Metalist Kharkiv

FC Copenhagen/Manchester City vs Aalborg BK/Deportivo La Coruna

Marseille/FC Twente vs. Fiorentina/Ajax Amsterdam

NEC Nijmegen/Hamburg vs. Bordeuax/Galatasaray

Matchest to be played on March 12 and March 18/19.

Whew!

UEFA Cup Group Stage, MatchDay #5, Continued

Group stage play in the 2008-09 UEFA Cup concluded Thursday.

Group A:

At Paris:

Peguy Luyindula's double (8', 86') helped propel Paris Saint Germain to a 4-0 home fistbeating of FC Twente to lift the French club into the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup. Despite losing, the Dutch club will also play in the Round of 32.

At Santander, Spain:

Jonathan Pereira (20'), Oscar Serrano (30'), and Juan Valera (54') provided the scoring as Racing Santander defeating visiting Manchester City 3-1. Nevertheless, the Spanish club has been eliminated from European competition, while the Citizens still finished atop Group A.
FINAL GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Manchester City (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
2. FC Twente (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 6)
3. Paris Saint-Germain (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 5)
4. Racing Santander (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
5. FC Schalke (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 4)

Manchester City, FC Twente, and PSG advanced to the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup.


Group B:

At Athens, Greece:

Four different goal scorers each scored once---Dudu (55'), Luciano Galletti (PK-68'), Vassilis Torosidis (87'), and Diogo Luis Santo (88')---as Olympiacos cracked opened what had been a scoreless deadlock into a 4-0 home frontier-styled fistbeating of Hertha Berlin to lock up a berth in the UEFA Cup's knockout stage.

At Lisbon, Portugal:

Olexandr Rykun scored the only goal of the match as FC Metalist Kharkiv won Group B with a 1-0 road win over eliminated SL Benfica.

FINAL GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. FC Metalist Kharkiv (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 10)
2. Galatasaray (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
3. Olympiacos (GP: 4; GD: +6; PTS: 6)
4. Hertha Berlin (GP: 4; GD: -5; PTS: 2)
5. SL Benfica (GP: 4; GD: -7; PTS: 1)

FC Metalist Kharkiv, Galatasaray, and Olympiacos advanced to the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup.

Group C:

At Genoa, Italy:

Jonathan Bottinelli scored the only goal of the match at 75 minutes as Sampdoria locked up a berth in the UEFA Cup knockout stage with a 1-0 home win over Sevilla, and in the process, knocked the two-time cup winners out of the competition.

At Stuttgart, Germany:

Sami Khedira (5'), Roberto Hilbert (49'), and Ciprian Marica (72') each tallied once as VfB Stuttgart laid claim to a UEFA knockout stage berth with a 3-0 home thumping of Standard de Liege, whom, despite losing, still finished atop Group C.

FINAL GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Standard de Liege (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 9)
2. VfB Stuttgart (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
3. Sampdoria (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 7)
4. Sevilla (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
5. Partizan Belgrade (GP: 4; GD: -7; PTS: 0)

Standard de Liega, VfB Stuttgart, Sampdoria advanced to the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup.

Group D:

At Nijmegen, Netherlands:

Collins John (75') and Jhon van Beukering (78') provided the second-half scoring as NEC Nijmegen clinched a Round of 32 UEFA Cup berth with a 2-0 home win over Udinese (who still finished at the top of Group D).

At London:

Second half goals courtesy of Luka Modric (67') and Tom Huddlestone (74') enabled Tottenham Hotspur to bounce back from a two-goal halftime deficit to gain a 2-2 home stalemate with Spartak Moscow to clinch a berth in the Round of 32 in the UEFA Cup. The Russian club's European campaign has ended.

FINAL GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Udinese (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 9)
2. Tottenham Hotspur (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
3. NEC Nijmegen (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
4. Spartak Moscow (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS 4)
5. Dinamo Zagreb (GP: 4; GD: -5; PTS: 3)

Udinese, Tottenham Hotspur, and NEC have advanced to the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup.

The draw for the first two knockout rounds of the UEFA Cup, as well as the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League, will take place on Friday.

UEFA Cup Group Stage, MatchDay # 5

Matchday #5 in the UEFA Cup commenced on Wednesday.

Group E:

At Portsmouth, England:

Peter Crouch scored twice (40', 42') as Portsmouth defeated visiting SC Heerenveen 3-0 in a battle of the two Group E clubs that wound up their European adventures.

At Milan, Italy:

VfL Wolfsburg, with goals from Cristian Zaccardo (56') and Mahir Saglik (81'), gained a 2-2 road draw with fellow advancers AC Milan to claim top spot in Group E. Massimo Ambrosini (17') and Pato (56') provided the hosts goals.

FINAL GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. VfL Wolfsburg (GP: 4; GD: +6; PTS: 10)
2. AC Milan (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 8)
3. Sporting Braga (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
4. Portsmouth (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
5. SC Heerenveen (GP: 4; GD: -10; PTS: 0)

VfL Wolfsburg, AC Milan, and Sporting Braga advanced to the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup.

Group F:

At Hamburg, Germany:

Ivica Olic scored twice (30', 57') and Mladen Petric once (18') as Hamburg overpowered visiting Aston Villa 3-1 to win Group F.

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Luis Suarez scored the late equalizer with his succesful penalty kick (90'+1) as Ajax Amsterdam salvaged a 2-2 home deadlock with Slavia Prague.

FINAL GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. Hamburg (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 9)
2. Ajax Amsterdam (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
3. Aston Villa (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 6)
4. Zilina (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
5. Slavia Prague (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 2)

Hamburg, Ajax, and Aston Villa advanced to the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup.

Group G:

At Bruges, Belgium:

Cesar Santin scored the only goal of the match (58') as FC Copenhagen defeated hosts Club Brugge 1-0 to claim a berth in the UEFA Cup group stage, eliminating the Belgian club in the process.

At Saint-Etienne, France:

In a contest involving two clubs heading for the UEFA Cup's Round of 32, Saint-Etienne locked up the top spot in Group G with a 2-2 home draw with Valencia. Ilan scored both of the hosts goals (29', 44'), while the Spanish club got tallies from Fernando Morientes (33') and Nikola Zigic (72').

FINAL GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. Saint-Etienne (GP: 4; GD: +5; PTS: 8)
2. Valencia (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 6)
3. FC Copenhagen (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 5)
4. Club Brugge (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
5. Rosenborg (GP: 4; GD: -7; PTS: 1)

Saint-Etienne, Valencia, and FC Copenhagen advanced to the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup.

Group H:

At La Coruna, Spain:

Rodolfo Bodipo's goal at 74 minutes lifted Deportivo La Coruna to a 1-0 home win over AS Nancy, sending the Spanish club into the UEFA Cup knockout stage and eliminating the French club from European competition.

At Rotterdam, Netherlands:

KKS Lech Poznan won their way into the Final 32 of the UEFA Cup with their 1-0 road win over Feyenoord, who lost all four of their group stage encounters. Ivan Djurdjevic scored the game's lone tally at 27 minutes.

FINAL GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. CSKA Moscow (GP: 4; GD: +7; PTS: 12)
2. Deportivo La Coruna (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
3. KKS Lech Poznan (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 5)
4. AS Nancy (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
5. Feyenoord Rotterdam (GP: 4; GD: -9; PTS: 0)

CSKA Moscow, Deportivo La Coruna, and KKS Lech Poznan advanced to the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup.

Group stage play concludes Thursday, with the draw for the rounds of 32 and 16 of the UEFA Cup and the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League on Friday.

UEFA Cup Group Stage, MatchDay # 4, Continued: Wolfsburg, Braga, Hamburg, Villa, Valencia Claim Knockout Round Berths; Pompey Eliminated

Eight more games were played on Thursday in UEFA Cup group stage action.

Group E:

At Wolfsburg, Germany:

Edin Dzeko (3'), Christian Gentner (23'), and Zvjezden Misimovic (74') provided the goals as VfL Wolfsburg came back from an early 2-1 deficit to defeat visiting Portsmouth 3-2 to lock up a berth in the knockout stage. The loss eliminated Pompey from European competition.

At Heerenveen, Netherlands:

Sporting Braga locked up a Round of 32 berth with a 2-1 road win over SC Heerenveen. Renteria (35') and Luis Aguiar (56') each tallied once for the winners.

GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. VfL Wolfsburg* (GP: 3; GD: +6; PTS: 9)
2. AC Milan* (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
3. Sporting Braga* (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
4. Portsmouth# (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 1)
5. SC Heerenveen# (GP: 3; GD: -7; PTS: 0)

*Advanced to UEFA Cup knockout stage
#Eliminated from European conpetition

Group F:

At Prague, Czech Republic:

Goals from Ivica Olic (30') and Mladen Petric (PK-90'+4) lifted Hamburg to a 2-0 road win over Slavia Prague that clinched a knockout stage berth for the German club while eliminating the Czech club from European competition.

At Birmingham, England:

Vladimir Leitner (16') and Peter Styvar (19') each tallied once as MSK Zilina stunned Aston Villa on the road 2-0. Nevertheless, the Slovakian club was still eliminated from European competition while the Villans still advanced to the knockout stage.

GROUP F STADINGS:

1. Hamburg* (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
2. Aston Villa* (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
3. Ajax Amsterdam* (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
4. MSK Zilina# (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
5. Slavia Prague# (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)

*Advanced to UEFA Cup knockout stage
#Eliminated from European competition

Group G:

AT Valencia, Spain:
Nikola Zigic's equalizer at 60 minutes enabled Valencia to advance to the knockout stage with a 1-1 home deadlock with Club Brugge. Antolin Alcaraz scored at 18 minutes for the Belgium club.

At Mikael Antonsson's late equalizer (85') lifted FC Copenhagen to a 1-1 home stalemate with Rosenborg to keep their shot advancing to the knockout stage alive, while eliminating the Norwegian club from European competition.

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. Saint-Etienne* (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 7)
2. Valencia* (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 5)
3. Club Brugge (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
4. FC Copenhagen (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 2)
5. Rosenborg# (GP: 4; GD: -7; PTS: 2)

*Advanced to the UEFA Cup group stage
#Eliminated from European competition

Group H:

At Poznan, Poland:

Hernan Rengifo's 42nd-minute equalizer lifted KKS Lech Poznan to a 1-1 home deadlock with Deportivo La Coruna that kept both clubs alive for a shot at advancing to the knockout stage. Diego Colotto put the Spanish club ahead early with his goal at 2 minutes.

At Nancy, France:

Vagner Love's hat trick (23', 62', 88') lifted CSKA Moscow to a 4-3 road win over AS Nancy to become only the fifth club to finish group stage play with a maximum of 12 points. Despite the loss, the French club still has a shot at advancing to the knockout stage.

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. CSKA Moscow** (GP: 4; GD: +7; PTS: 12)
2. AS Nancy (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
3. Deportivo La Coruna (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
4. KKS Lech Poznan (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)
5. Feyenoord Rotterdam# (GP: 3; GD: -8; PTS: 0)

**Won group and advanced to the UEFA Cup group stage
#Eliminated from European competition

UEFA Cup Group Stage, MatchDay # 4: FC Twente, Metalist, Galatasaray, Standard de Liege, Udinese Clinch Knockout Round Berths

Wednesday marked the opening of MatchDay #4 in UEFA Cup group stage play.

Group A:

At Manchester, England:

Visiting Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City played to a 0-0 draw. The Citizens have already clinched a berth in the knockout stage, which starts in February with the Round of 32.

At Enschede, Netherlands:

Thanks to goals from Rob Wielaert (2') and Kenneth Perez (54'), FC Twente locked up a knockout stage berth with a 2-1 home win over FC Schalke 04.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Manchester City* (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. FC Twente* (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
3. FC Schalke 04 (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. Racing Santander (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)
5. Paris Saint-Germain (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 2)

*Advanced to the UEFA Cup knockout stage

Group B:

At Kharkov, Ukraine:

Edmar scored the game's lone goal at 88 minutes as FC Metalist Kharkiv clinched a knockout round berth with a 1-0 home win over Olympiacos.

At Berlin:

Milan Baros' successful 69th-minute penalty kick sealed a knockout round berth for Galatasary as they won 1-0 on the road over Hertha Berlin.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Galatasaray* (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
2. FC Metalist Kharkiv* (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
3. Olympiacos (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
4. SL Benfica (GP: 3; GD: -6; PTS: 1)

*Advanced to UEFA Cup knockout stage

Group C:

At Liege, Belgium:

Royal Standard de Liege, powered by goals from Igor De Camargo (23'), Oguchi Oneywu (35'), and Milan Jovanovic (43'), sealed a spot in the Round of 32 with their 3-0 pasting of visiting Sampdoria.

At Seville, Spain:

Luis Fabiano's double (PK-32', 73') helped lift Sevilla to a 3-0 home beatdown of playing-out-the-string Partizan Belgrade.

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Standard de Liege* (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 9)
2. Sevilla (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 6)
3. VfB Stuttgart (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
4. Sampdoria (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
5. Partizan Belgrade# (GP: 4; GD: -7; PTS: 0)

*Advanced to UEFA Cup group stage
#Eliminated from European competition

Group D:

At Moscow:

Thanks to goals in the waning minutes courtesy of Jhon van Beukering (84') and Lasse Schone (87') lifted NEC Nijmegen to a 2-1 come-from-behing road win over Spartak Moscow.

At Udine, Italy:

Fabio Quagliarella (5') and Christian Obodo (78') provided the scoring as Udinese locked up a knockout stage berth at home by beating Dinamo Zagreb 2-1, as the Croatian club's European campaign ended.

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Udinese* (GP: 3; GD: +6; PTS: 9)
2. Tottenham Hotspur (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
3. NEC Nijmegen (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Spartak Moscow (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
5. Dinamo Zagreb# (GP: 4; GD: -5; PTS: 3)

*Advanced to UEFA Cup knockout stage
#Eliminated from European competition

UEFA Cup Group Stage, Matchday # 2

Thursday marked Matchday #2 in the UEFA Cup:

Group A:

At Santander, Spain:

Orlando Englaar's equalizer enable Schalke to gain a 1-1 road stalemate with Racing Santander.

At Manchester England:

Goals from Shawn Wright-Phillips (2'), Robinho (57'), and Benjani Mwaruwari (62') enabled Manchester City to hold off visiting FC Twente 3-2.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. FC Schalke 04 (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
2. Manchester City (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. FC Twente (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
4. Racing Santander (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)
5. Paris Saint-Germain (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)



Group B:

At Kharov, Ukraine:

Hertha Berlin held homestanding FC Metalist Kharkiv to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Lisbon:

Goals from Emre Asik (51') and Umit Karan (69') enabled visiting Galatasaray to blank SL Benfica 2-0.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Galatasaray (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
2. Hertha Berlin (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 2)
3. Metalist (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. SL Benfica (GP; 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)
5. Olympiacos (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)



Group C:

At Stuttgart, Germany:

Super Mario Gomez was just that as his double (77', 80') lifted VfB Stuttgart to a 2-0 home win over Partizan Belgrade.

At Liege, Belgium:

Royal Standard de Liege racked up a 1-0 home win over Sevilla. Dieudonne Mbokani scored the game's lone goal at 38 minutes.

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Sampdoria (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
2. Sevilla (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Standard de Liege (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
4. VfB Stuttgart (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
5. Partizan Belgrade (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 0)



Group D:

At Moscow:

Fabio Quagliarella's double (12', PK-60') lifted Udinese to a 2-1 road win over Spartak Moscow.

At London:

Darren Bent's hat trick (30', 33', 70') helped guide Tottenham Hotspur to a 4-0 home fistbeating of Dinamo Zagreb.

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Udinese (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
2. Tottenham Hotspur (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
3. Dinamo Zagreb (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 3)
4. NEC Nijmegen (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
5. Spartak Moscow (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)



Group E:

At Wolfsburg, Germany:

Edin Dzenko's double (34', 61') was just part of an offensive barrage that carried VfL Wolfsburg to a 5-1 home horsewhipping of SC Heerenveen.

At Milan, Italy:

Ronaldinho scored the game's only goal in second half stoppage time (90'+3) as AC Milan defeated visiting Sporting Braga 1-0.

GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. AC Milan (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
2. VfL Wolfsburg (GP: 1; GD: +4; PTS: 3)
3. Sporting Braga (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
4. Portsmouth (GP: 1; GD: -3; PTS: 0)
5. SC Heerenveen (GP: 2; GD: -6; PTS: 0)



Group F:

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Luis Suarez provided the match's only tally (41') as Ajax Amsterdam defeated visiting MSK Zilina 1-0.

At Prague, Czech Republic:

John Carew registered the game's lone goal (26') as visiting Aston Villa shut out Slavia Prague 1-0.

GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. Aston Villa (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
2. Hamburg (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Ajax (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
4. Slavia Prague (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
5. MSK Zilina (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 0)



Group G:

At Saint-Etienne, France:

With goals courtesy of Ilan (59'), Paulo Machado (63'), and Kevin Mirallas (76'), Saint-Etienne broke open a match that was scoreless at halftime and ended up overpowering visiting Rosenborg 3-0.

At Seville:

Cesar Santin's late equalizer (85') lifted FC Copenhagen to a 1-1 road draw with Sevilla, whose Fernando Morientes had scored in the 61st minute.

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. Saint-Etienne (GP: 2; GD: +5; PTS: 6)
2. Valencia (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
3. Club Brugg (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS 1)
4. FC Copenhagen (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 1)
5. Rosenborg (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 1)



Group H:

At Poznan, Poland:

Monzef Zenka's 81st-minute equalizer enabled AS Nancy to gain a 2-2 road draw with Lech Poznan. Chris Malonga scored the French club's other goal at 10 minutes. Slawomir Peszko (5') and Semir Stilic (22') provided the hosts' goals.

At Rotterdam, Netherlands:

Vagner Love scored twice (40', 81') as CSKA Moscow picked up a 3-1 road win at Feyenoord's expense.

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. CSKA Moscow (GP: 2; GD: +5; PTS: 6)
2. AS Nancy (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 4)
3. Lech Poznan (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. Deportivo La Coruna (GP: 1; GD: -3; PTS: 0)
5. Feyenoord Rotterdam (GP: 2; GD: -5; PTS: 0)

UEFA Cup: Group Play Commences

Group stage play in the UEFA Cup began Thursday:

Group A:

At Gelsenkirchen, Germany:

Goals from Kevin Kuryani (39') and Halil Altintop (70') helped Schalke 04 overpower visiting Paris Saint-Germain 3-1.

At Enschede, Netherlands:

Romano Denneboon's early goal (7') held up as FC Twente held off visiting Racing Santander 1-0.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Schalke (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. FC Twente (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Manchester City (GP: 0; GD: 0; PTS: 0)
4. Racing Santander (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
5. PSG (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

Group B:

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Harry Kewell provided the lone goal of the match (25') as Galatasaray defeated visiting Olympiacos 1-0.

At Berlin:

Marko Pantelic knocked in the equalizer at 74 minutes as Hertha Berlin salvaged a 1-1 home draw with SL Benfica. Angel Di Maria scored for the visiting Young Eagles at 51 minutes.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Galatasaray (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
2. Benfica (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
3. Hertha Berlin (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. Metalist (GP: 0; GD: 0; PTS: 0)
5. Olympiacos (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)

Group C:

At Seville, Spain:

Ndri Romaric (15') and Renato (16') provided the quick first-round tallies as Sevilla blanked visiting VfB Stuttgart 2-0.

At Belgrade, Serbia:

Daniele Dessnana's game winner (55') lifted Sampdoria past hosts Partizan Belgrade 2-1.

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Sevilla (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. Sampdoria (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Standard de Liege (GP: O; GD: 0; PTS: 0)
4. Partizan Belgrade (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
5. VfB Stuttgart (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

Group D:

At Udine, Italy:

Goals from Antonio Di Natale (PK-24') and Simone Pepe (86') lifted Udinese to a 2-0 home win over Tottenham Hotspur.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Thanks to goals courtesy of Marijo Mandzukic (3'), Bosko Balaban (81'), and Ivica Vrdoljak (84') enabled Dinamo Zagreb to come from behind and edge out visiting Dutch club NEC Nijmegen 3-2.

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Udinese (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. Dinamo Zagreb (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Spartak Moscow (GP: 0; GD: 0; PTS: 0)
4. NEC Nijmegen (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
5. Tottenham Hotspur (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

Group E:

At Heerenveen, Netherlands:

AC Milan, thanks to goals from Gannaro Gattuso (23') and Filippo Inzaghi (69'), picked up a 3-1 road win over SC Heerenveen.

At Braga, Portugal:

Powered by goals from Luis Aguiar (8'), Renteria (46'), and Alan (87'), Sporting Braga smothered visiting Portsmouth 3-0.

GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. Sporting Braga (GP: 1; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
2. AC Milan (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
3. VfL Wolfsburg (GP: 0; GD: 0; PTS: 0)
4. SC Heerenveen (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)
5. Portsmouth (GP: 1; GD: -3; PTS: 0)

Group F:

At Zilina, Slovakia:

First-half goals from Mladen Petric (15') and Ivica Olic (45'+1) held up as visiting Hamburg held off MSK Zilina 2-1.

At Birmingham, England:

Aston Villa, thanks to goals from Martin Laursen (8') and Gareth Barry (45'), defeated visiting Ajax of Amsterdam 2-1.

GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. Hamburg (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
2. Aston Villa (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Slavia Prague (GP: 0; GD: 0; PTS: 0)
4. Ajax Amsterdam (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
5. MSK Zilina (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)

Group G:

At Copenhagen, Denmark:

Saint-Etienne, with goals from Bafetimbi Gomis (2'), Loic Perrin (37'), and Dimitri Payet (65'), defeated hosts FC Copenhagen 3-1.

At Trondheim, Norway:

Visiting Club Brugge and Rosenborg played to a 0-0 stalemate.

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. Saint-Etienne (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. Club Brugge (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
3. Rosenborg (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. Valencia (GP: 0; GD: 0; PTS: 0)
5. FC Copenhagen (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

Group H:

At Moscow:

Alan Dzagoev tallied twice (9', 12') and Vagner Love added one himself (61') as CSKA Moscow dominated visiting Deportivo La Coruna 3-0)

At Nancy, France:

Second-half goals from Monsef Zerka (47'), Julien Feret (53'), and Helder (84') propelled AS Nancy to a 3-0 home blanking of Feyenoord Rotterdam.

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. CSKA Moscow (GP: 1; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
2. AS Nancy (GP: 1; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
3. Lech Poznan (GP: 0; GD: 0; PTS: 0)
4. Deportivo La Coruna (GP: 1; GD: -3; PTS: 0)
5. Feyenoord Rotterdam (GP: 1; GD: -3; PTS: 0)

UEFA Cup Group Stage Draw

Here's a recap of Tuesday's draw for the 2008-09 UEFA Cup Group Stage.

Here is what the eight groups look like:

Group A:

Schalke 04 (Germany)
Paris Saint Germain (France)
Manchester City (England)
Racing Santander (Spain)
FC Twente (Netherlands)

Group B:

SL Benfica (Portugal)
Olympiacos (Greece)
Galatasaray (Turkey)
Hertha BSC Berlin (Germany)
Metalist Khariv (Ukraine)

Group C:

Sevilla (Spain)
VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
Samporia (Italy)
Partizan Belgrade (Serbia)
Standard Liege (Belgium)

Group D:

Tottenham Hotspur (England)
Spartak Moscow (Russia)
Udinese (Italy)
Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
NEC Nijmegen (Netherlands)

Group E:

AC Milan (Italy)
SC Heerenveen (Netherlands)
Sporting Braga (Portugal)
Portsmouth (England)
VfL Wolfsburg (Germany)

Group F:

Hamburg (Germany)
Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)
Aston Villa (England)
MSK Zilina (Slovakia)

Group G:

Valencia (Spain)
Club Brugge (Belgium)
Rosenborg (Norway)
FC Copenhagen (Denmark)
Saint-Etienne (France)

Group F:
CSKA Moscow (Russia)
Deportivo La Coruna (Spain)
Feyenoord (Netherlands)
AS Nancy (France)
Lech Poznan (Poland)

Each team will play each of the other four teams in its group once. The top three finishing teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage, where they will be joined by the eight third-place group finishers from the UEFA Champions League.

Group stage play begins on Thursday, October 23.

UEFA Cup: First Round Concludes

Thursday marked the conclusion of the first round of the 2008-09 UEFA Cup.