Another thrilling evening of UEFA cup action, another evening of teams humiliating themselves by having to play in this bloody contest. Were the ’90s really that long ago? I remember Ajax lifting the real european trophy in 1995, back when the Bosman ruling hadn’t ravaged their squad and nightclub Patrick was still just Patrick and Marseille were (literally) bribing and cheating their way to success. Golden years indeed. Now the poor buggers are reduced to competing for this heap of crap.
St. Etienne 2 – 2 Werder Bremen (Agg. 2-3)
I got to watch this game and I’m somewhat ashamed to admit it wasn’t half bad. With a 1-0 first leg lead, Werder Bremen practically sealed the tie thanks to first half goals from Prodl and Chelsea legend Claudio Pizarro. Truth be known, I’d switched channels by the time Yohan Benalouane gave the French side hope midway through the second period, heading home from close range. Sebastien Grax claimed a 90th minute goal to level things on the night but it was too little, too late.
Uefa-Cup St. Etienne – Werder Bremen – MyVideo
Ajax 2 – Marseille 2 (Agg. 3-4)
Excited… I almost was. Ajax drew level on aggregate when Enoh scored after half an hour but Niang brought the Frenchies level on the night and back into the lead overall two minutes later. With 15 minutes remaining, Sulejmani made the tie all square, forcing a further 30 minutes of pure footballing joy. In extra time, Englisher Tyrone Mears became the hero for the French scoring his first goal for the club following a Zenden free-kick in the 109th minute.
