Werder Bremen reach Uefa Cup final, thanks partly to bizarre bobble
Damn that pesky “papierkugel”! Hamburger SV, quarter-final conquerors of Manchester City, were on course to make the Uefa Cup final, but fate intervened, in the form of a scrunched up ball of paper. Just as Hamburg defender Michael Gravgaard was about to hoof the ball clear, it hit the rubbish and bobbled horribly over his swinging leg. Werder Bremen’s Frank Baumann scored from the resulting corner, and Werder went on to win 3-2. Great game, too. [@ Dirty Tackle]
Bremen will be joined in the final by Shakhtar Donetsk, who beat Dynamo Kiev 2-1, thanks to a very late goal by Ilsinho. Watch highlights below:
Werder Bremen v Shakhtar Donetsk… Mmm, my mouth is literally not watering. Great for fans of those two clubs that their team gets to play in the last ever Uefa Cup final (it becomes the Europa League next season), but less appetising for the neutral, especially as Bremen’s brilliant Brazilian, Diego, is suspended after being booked last night.