UEFA Cup Latest

Last updated : 15 March 2007 By Footy Mad - Editor

Bayer Leverkusen 3 Lens 0
(Bayer Leverkusen won 4-2 on aggregate)

Osasuna 1 Rangers 0
(Osasuna won 2-1 on aggregate)

Tottenham 3 Braga 2
(Tottenham won 6-4 on aggregate)

Werder Bremen 2 Celta Vigo 0
(Werder Bremen won 3-0 on aggregate)

RANGERS FALL

UEFA will wait to receive their match delegate's report before deciding whether to intervene following the crowd disturbances in Osasuna's home match against Rangers on Wednesday night.

Rangers have complained about the lack of segregation and heavy-handed policing at the UEFA Cup clash.

Rangers chief executive Martin Bain claimed that despite repeated requests from UEFA, Rangers and the British ambassador to Spain, arrangements in the stadium in Pamplona were not right.

Riot police entered the area where the Rangers fans were seated, separating them from the Osasuna supporters sitting nearby.

The police had stood in a line in front of the visiting fans for around 10 minutes before an incident then saw them wade in among the Rangers support, scattering the fans.

Around 1,800 Rangers supporters had official tickets for the match at Osasuna's 20,000-capacity Reyno de Navarra stadium.

However many more than that were thought to have attended the match.

A UEFA spokesman this morning insisted the organisation would need to hear from Rangers and from officials at the match before deciding whether any action was necessary. They were expecting to receive the delegate's report this afternoon.

Bain, who saw Rangers exit the competition 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-0 defeat in Spain, last night claimed to have the support of the UEFA match delegate.

He also accepted that hooligan groups may have infiltrated the Rangers fans.

Bain said: "There is no doubt about it that there is a small element that attached itself to our support ... but the vast majority of Rangers fans were intimidated by heavy-handed police.

"When we go back to Glasgow we will assess the situation but we will be in touch with UEFA to express our unhappiness.

"We have spoken with the UEFA delegate at the game and he agrees with us that things were not right in the ground and the British ambassador has also made representations to UEFA as well."

TOTTENHAM THROUGH AFTER SCARE

Tottenham boss Martin Jol has tipped Dimitar Berbatov to maintain his form for the rest of the season after the striker helped knock SC Braga out of the UEFA Cup.

Berbatov scored twice and set up another in a 3-2 win at White Hart Lane, with Spurs winning the last-16 clash 6-4 on aggregate.

It puts Spurs into the hat for the quarter-finals and although Berbatov is playing with a nagging groin problem, Jol has tipped his striker to add to his 19 goals this season.

"He did that in Germany when he scored 18 goals after Christmas," said Jol.

"When you're as good as him, next year he will score 25 goals probably."

Jol considered resting Berbatov, but added: "I was happy that I played him again."

"I wish I could rest him but it's the same with players like Michael Dawson and Aaron Lennon."

Lennon took a knock to his knee and will require assessment, while Berbatov played the 90 minutes.

The £10.9m signing struck twice before half-time after Tom Huddlestone's own goal had levelled the scores on aggregate in the 24th minute.

Robbie Keane set up the first, sliding the ball through the Braga defence for Berbatov to steer into the far corner.

For his second, Berbatov was found unmarked by Huddlestone and the Bulgaria striker lashed in a volley after trapping the ball on his chest.

"He's always moving into the space and only needs one or two seconds to lose his opponent," added Jol. "There was a suspicion of offside but it was a great finish."

Spurs have had a recent knack of losing leads and their two-goal cushion was halved when Andrade powered in a free-kick on the hour-mark, with the visitors knowing another strike would send the tie into extra time.

However, before Braga could put any more pressure on the home defence, Berbatov flicked through for Steed Malbranque to wrap up the 6-4 aggregate win.

REST OF THE NEWS

Bayer Leverkusen eased into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup after comfortably beating Lens 3-0 at the BayArena.

Goals from Andriy Voronin 10 minutes before the break and Sergej Barbarez 10 minutes after it set the Bundesliga side up for victory.

Juan rounded off the 4-2 aggregate win with a header in the 70th minute, making Leverkusen the first team in the hat for Friday's quarter-final draw.

Werder Bremen joined their Bundesliga foes in the last eight as they beat Celta Vigo 2-0 at the Weserstadion.

Hugo Almeida and Clemens Fritz provided the goals early in the second half to complete a 3-0 aggregate win for Thomas Schaaf's side.

Celta, who sent a largely second-string side to Germany, rarely looked like overturning the 1-0 deficit from the first leg and, apart from having two Jose Perera goals disallowed, did little to test Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese.