Wolfsburg have qualified for the group stages of the Uefa Cup despite only managing a draw in Romania.
Hamburg and Valencia go through
Wolfsburg have made it through to the group stages of the Uefa Cup despite only managing a 1-1 draw against
Rapid Bucharest in an early kick-off in Romania.
In a game marred by bookings, it was the visitors who broke the deadlock through Grafite. The Brazilian scored on just 16 minutes in the second leg giving the German's a 2-0 aggregate lead.
Five yellow cards followed that early goal in what turned out to be an incredibly gritty encounter. Bucharest drew some hope through defender Vasile Maftei who converted midway through the second half but his team mates failed to build on that lifeline.
Spartak Moscow couldn't have wished for a better start against Czech side
Banik Ostrava after taking the lead on just four minutes of play.
Russian-born striker Nikita Bazhenov gave Moscow a terrific early lead and lifted the aggregate score line to 2-0 leaving the visitors somewhat deflated soon after kick-off.
Rudolf Otepka brought Ostrava back into the match at the half-hour mark but it wasn't enough as Moscow fought out a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes to go through 2-1 on aggregate.
Hamburg made easy work of their Romanian opponents
Unirea Urziceni on Thursday with a runaway 2-0 victory after a goalless first leg.
Mladen Petric gave the visitors the lead midway through the first half after a quiet start for both sides. He scored his second early in the second half to secure Hamburg's qualification to the group stages in another feisty encounter marred by yellow cards.
Seven yellow cards were dished out in the game between
Stuttgart and Bulgarian outfit
Cherno More Varna in yet another trappy encounter at the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium.
Yordan Yurukov rather unexpectedly put Cherno in front early in the second half to make the score 2-1 on aggregate in favour of the Germans.
Cherno got a second through Gusev shortly before Thomas Hitzlsperger levelled the aggregate scoreline to 3-3 with minutes remaining. Soon after Mario Gomez broke Bulgarian hearts with a last minute equaliser in the second leg to see out a 2-2 draw in Germany.
It was another lively start in the match between
Schalke and
Apoel Nicosia with the Cypriots opening the score on just six minutes.
Helio Pinto gave the visitors a rather unexpected lead early doors against the German outfit who put four past their opponents in the first leg.
Christian Pander got an equaliser early in the second half to earn a 1-1 draw in the second leg and take the Germans through comfortably 5-2 on aggregate.
No shortage of goals or drama in the match between
Rosenburg and
Brondby as the Norwegian side fought out a 3-2 victory in the second leg at the Lerkenadal Stadion.
Didier Konan gave Rosenburg the lead after just 15 minutes giving Brondby a two-goal deficit to overcome. They did just that with two goals in ten minutes through Thomas Rasmussen and Jan Kristiansen bringing the score line level on aggregate inside half-time.
Rosenborg though put the game to bed with 15 minutes remaining. Per Ciljan Skjelbred brought the Norwegians level in the second leg before Marek Sapara converted from the penalty spot to take Rosenborg through.
Bafetimbi Gomis scored two for
Saint-Etienne as they beat
Hapoel Tel-Aviv 2-1 in France.
Samuel Yeboah scored for the visitors in the dying minutes but it was too little too late for Tel-Aviv who were beat 4-2 on aggregate.
Sparta Prague and
Dynamo Zagreb shared six goals between them as they fought out a 3-3 draw at the AXA Arena.
After a goalless first leg, Pedro Morales gave the visitors the lead early in the first half, albeit briefly. Just minutes after he broke the deadlock Marek Kulic brought it level before Jiri Kladrubsky issued a second blow to make it 2-1 to the home side.
Defender Dejan Lovren equalised mid-way through the first half to make it a lively start in the Czech Republic.
Goals continued to flow in the second half when Milan Badelj netted just past the hour mark. The match seemed all but over before Sparta were issued a penalty with minutes remaining. Kladrubsky stepped up to score his second on the night and leave it all square in 90 minutes.
La Liga high flyers
Sevilla fought out ready winners in
Salzburg on Thursday with Frederic Kanoute providing both goals for Manolo Jimenez's side.
The 31-year-old scored midway through the first half to extend the Spanish aggregate lead to three goals before converting from the penalty spot just before the hour mark.
Udinese scraped through a penalty shoot out against
Borussia Dortmund to make it through to the group stages.
In yet another booking fest, Dortmund's Tamas Hajnal scored twice in 90 minutes to bring the aggregate scoreline to 2-2 after which both sides made it through extra time unscathed.
A scrappy encounter it has to be said but Udinese held on all the way through to see out a 4-3 victory in a nervy penalty shoot out.
La Liga leaders
Valencia also made it through to the next phase with a 2-1 win at home to
Maritimo.
The Spanish giants, who won the first leg 1-0, initially fell behind to a first half goal from midfielder Marcinho.
But they pulled it level in the second half through Asier Del Horno before David Villa scored an injury time winner from the penalty spot.
