UEFA Cup: quarter-final first leg round up

April 5, 2007

All four quarterfinal matches occurred Thursday in the UEFA Cup, with all three Spanish sides remaining in the competition winning their games. Only one match ended in a draw, that being the game between AZ Alkmaar and Werder Bremen.

Sevilla 2 - 1 Tottenham
English side Tottenham Hotspur travelled to Spain to take on La Liga title hopeful's Sevilla. Robbie Keane scored the opener for the visitors only two minutes into the match, but a controversial penalty off a challenge by keeper Paul Robinson saw Sevilla draw level as Freddie Kanoute slotted the spot kick home. Both teams battled for a win, but Sevilla eventually came out the victors as Alexander Kerzhakov scored the winning goal, and Spurs could not recover.

AZ Alkmaar 0 - 0 Werder Bremen
Two clubs battling for the title in their respective domestic leagues met Thursday at the DSB Stadion in Alkmaar, Netherlands. Both sides put in respectable efforts, but the eventual outcome of the game would be a nil-nil draw. The draw means Bremen will have to win at home in the return leg in order to qualify automatically for the semi-finals.

Bayer Leverkusen 0 - 3 Osasuna
Osasuna all but booked their place in the semi's with a convincing 3-0 win over Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen at the Bay Arena. The visitors came out very strong with Carlos Cuellar scoring within the first minute. Two goals two minutes apart midway through the second half from Lopez and Webo secured the game for Osasuna, and Bayer will have to improve greatly if they hope to advance after the second leg.

Espanyol 3 - 2 Benfica
In a hard fought affair, Espanyol took a demanding 3-0 lead in under an hour, but Portuguese side Benfica fought hard and earned themselves two crucial away goals in Spain. Tamudo opened the scoring for Espanyol after 15 minutes before Riera and Pandiani scored to put pressure on Benfica. Nuno Gomes and Simao Sabrosa responded well for the Eagles, tallying in the 64th and 66th minutes respectively. The goals by Benfica leave the result of the tie up in the air, as a 1-0 victory in the return leg is all Benfica require to advance, while Espanyol will only need a draw.