Champions League

Braga knocks Sevilla out of Champions League

Brago shocked Sevilla in the Champions League play-offs as a hat-trick from Lima allowed Braga to win 4-3 against Sevilla in Spain and progress 5-3 on aggregate.

Braga held a 1-0 lead following the first leg and goals from Matheus after 31 minutes and Lima after 58 minutes, three minutes after he came on as a substitute, put the visitors 3-0 up on aggregate.

Luis Fabiano pulled a goal back after 60 minutes and Jesus Navas pulled another goal back for Sevilla after 84 minutes. However, one minute later Lima netted his second before he added his third, leaving Frederic Kanoute’s stoppage-time strike in vain as Sevilla fell into the Europa League.

Basle won 3-0 in Moldova to complete a 4-0 aggregate success over FC Sheriff. Marco Streller scored after 74 minutes and Alexander Frei netted twice in the final six minutes to seal victory. FC Sheriff finished the game with 10 men after captain Vazha Tarkhnishvili was sent off for two bookable offences after 76 minutes.

Erin Zahavi scored in the 92nd minute as Hapoel Tel-Aviv claimed a 4-3 aggregate success over Red Bull Salzburg, who had taken the lead through Douglas da Silva’s own goal three minutes before the break. The second leg ended 1-1.

Werder Bremen left it late as they knocked Sampdoria out. Giampaolo Pazzini netted twice, scoring after eight and 13 minutes, before talisman Antonio Cassano struck a third of the night five minutes from time to put Sampdoria 3-0 up and on course for the group stages having seemingly overturned a 3-1 first-leg deficit.

But Bremen substitute Markus Rosenberg scored in the third minute of stoppage time to send the tie into extra time. Claudio Pizarro then struck a rasping low drive in the first period of extra time to hand the German side a 5-4 aggregate triumph.

Partizan Belgrade also moved into the group stages thanks to a 3-2 penalty shootout win over Anderlecht.

The first leg tied was tied at 2-2 and goals from Cleo after 15 and 53 minutes put Partizan 4-2 up on aggregate. Romelu Kukaku pulled a goal back after 64 minutes and Guillaume Gillet levelled the tie after 71 minutes, forcing extra time. The deadlock could not be broken as the tie ended 4-4 on aggregate and was decided by a penalty shootout.

Matias Suarez spooned the ball over the bar as the pitch appeared to give way around the penalty spot, but Mladen Krstajic missed Partizan’s next spot kick. Lucas Biglia also shot over for Anderlecht and Aleksandar Davidov missed for Partizan before the hosts’ Mbark Boussoufa also fired over in the game’s decisive miss.