Bremen Win, Bayer Lose
March 9, 2007
Werder got what could be a hugely important away goal against Celta, with Portuguese striker Hugo Almeida scoring Bremen's winner in another mediocre night for Spanish soccer.
After Real Madrid and Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League earlier in the week, hopes were high that Celta, Sevilla, Espanyol and Osasuna would make a good start in the first legs of their last-16 games.
But Spanish soccer fans will have to live with disappointment. Celta and cup holders Sevilla lost and Espanyol and Osasuna managed draws. Only Valencia made progress in European competition, reaching the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Leverkusen fluff their lines in France
Bremen kept German on the road to European glory while Bayer Leverkusen's UEFA Cup campaign hit a pothole on the way to the quarter-finals.
Racing Club Lens playmaker Olivier Monterrubio scored and won a penalty as the French side overcame Leverkusen's challenge with a 2-1 win at home in the Felix Bollaert Stadium.
Monterrubio, who joined Lens in January from Stade Rennes, lobbed keeper Rene Adler to put the French side ahead at the break.
Leverkusen's Tunisian defender Karim Haggui equalized with a header from a corner kick, but his delight turned to misery on 69 minutes when he crudely upended Monterrubio in the penalty area and was sent off. Daniel Cousin sent Adler the wrong way from the spot to give the French side the victory.