Former European champions AC Milan and Aston Villa tumbled out of the UEFA Cup on Thursday as the lure of next season’s Champions League riches proved a fatal distraction.
Villa suffered a heavy price for downgrading Europe’s second-tier competition when their second-string team slumped to a last 32 exit in freezing Moscow against CSKA.
Milan, watched by less than 24,000 people at their San Siro home, also went out at the hands of Werder Bremen.
They were joined on the UEFA Cup casualty list by Fiorentina, Tottenham Hotspur and Valencia, but Manchester City and holders Zenit St Petersburg both secured places in the next round.
Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill left the likes of Gareth Barry, Brad Friedel, Emile Heskey, James Milner, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young back in England for the second-leg tie against CSKA Moscow.
The Russians took full advantage to carve out a 2-0 win on the night and a 3-1 aggregate victory to reach the last 16, with Yury Zhirkov and Vagner Love on target.
“It’s not a decision that was taken lightly,” said O’Neill of his team selection, which also included teenage debutants Barry Bannan and Marc Albrighton. “Circumstances forced me into making my decision.”
Peru striker Claudio Pizarro, on loan from Chelsea, scored both goals as Werder Bremen stunned AC Milan by coming back from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 and go through on away goals after the first leg had finished 1-1.
Milan were cruising at halftime through goals from Andrea Pirlo and Pato, but Pizarro’s brace added to the misery for a Milan side who trail city rivals Inter by 11 points in the league.
A Craig Bellamy double in the space of seven second-half minutes ensured Manchester City a 2-1 win over FC Copenhagen for a 4-3 victory on aggregate.
City are the only British side left in the tournament after a second-string Tottenham Hotspur crashed out following a 1-1 draw at home to Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk.
Leading 2-0 from the first leg, Shakhtar only briefly looked in danger of relinquishing control of the tie after Spurs’ Mexican midfielder Giovani dos Santos opened the scoring with a stunning strike, 10 minutes into the second half.
But Fernandinho grabbed a late goal to seal Shakhtar’s place in the last 16.
With tomorrow’s League Cup final meeting with Manchester United looming, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp had made his priorities crystal clear by naming only one member of the side that defeated Hull City on Monday in his starting 11.
“Who am I supposed to play?” asked Redknapp, who gave a debut to 18-year-old Jonathan Obika. “I must be in the wrong game if I’m meant to play a first team three days before the cup final.”
Fiorentina, fourth in Serie A, drew 1-1 at Ajax to exit 2-1 on aggregate, with substitute Leonardo scoring an 88th-minute equalizer after Alberto Gilardino had put the Italians ahead.
Valencia, also hopeful of a Champions League spot next season, were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Dynamo Kiev and went out on away goals.
Sampdoria, struggling to avoid relegation from Serie A, were also big-name casualties when they lost 2-0 to Metalist Kharkiv in Ukraine having also lost the first leg 1-0.
Defending champions Zenit St Petersburg enjoyed a 2-1 win at VfB Stuttgart to seal a 5-2 win on aggregate.
The Russians struck just before halftime when Igor Semshov rifled his shot past diving Stuttgart goalkeeper Jens Lehmann from close range.
Stuttgart hit back when 19-year-old Timo Gebhart beat three defenders and rifled his shot home on 80 minutes.
But with a 3-1 deficit to overcome from the first leg, Stuttgart were always struggling to have a realistic chance of making the next round.
Zenit made it 2-1 on the night after 85 minutes when Viktor Fayzulin smashed into the empty net.
Martin Jol’s Hamburg are also through after Croatia striker Ivica Olic struck as early as the ninth minute, his goal enough to seal a 1-0 win over NEC Nijmegen and a 4-0 aggregate success.
Draw for the last 16 of the UEFA Cup:
• Werder Bremen v St Etienne
• CSKA v Shakhtar Donetsk
• Udinese v Zenit St Petersburg
• Paris Saint-Germain v Braga
• Dynamo Kiev v Metalist Kharkov
• Manchester City v Aalborg
• Marseille v Ajax
• Hamburg v Galatasaray
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
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