UEFA Cup holders Shakhtar Donetsk were knocked out of the Europa League after being held to a 1-1 draw by visitors Fulham in their round of 32 tie Thursday. Former European champions Liverpool and Juventus progressed to the last 16 and Werder Bremen striker Claudio Pizarro scored a hat-trick as his side went through with a 4-1 win over former England manager Steve McLaren's Twente Enschede.
Brazilian Fernandinho's second-half equaliser earned Shakhtar Donetsk a 1-1 draw with Dynamo Kiev in the first leg of their UEFA Cup semi-final in Ukraine's capital on Thursday. Shakhtar's Olexandr Kucher will miss the second leg next week through suspension after being booked midway through the second half.
European champions Barcelona may be without striker Thierry Henry when they host Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday looking for their first Champions League win of the season.
UEFA Cup holders Shakhtar Donetsk thrashed Club Bruges 4-1 away on Thursday when top-level football began experimenting with five-man refereeing teams in the opening Europa League group stage games.
Hamburg SV and Werder Bremen stayed on course for an all-German UEFA Cup semi-final clash with 3-1 victories over Manchester City and Udinese respectively in their quarter-final, first legs on Thursday. Shakhtar Donetsk beat visitors Olympique Marseille 2-0 while Dynamo Kiev drew at Paris St Germain in a lacklustre goalless affair leaving open the possibility of a Ukrainian semi-final if the French clubs fail to put in improved performances.
European soccer's governing body UEFA and the continent's top clubs have no plans to create a "Super League" to replace the Champions League and UEFA Cup, officials said on Tuesday.
A late equaliser from Werder Bremen's Brazilian international Diego denied AC Milan victory in their UEFA Cup first knockout round first leg tie in Germany on Wednesday.
Manchester United may field weakened teams in the league if a top-four finish seems beyond them in order to boost their chances of winning the Europa League, manager Jose Mourinho said.
Javier Saviola and Oscar Cardozo scored two goals apiece and defender Luisao was also on target as Benfica thumped Everton 5-0 in the Europa League on Thursday.
Dynamo Kiev clinched their 13th Ukrainian league title since 1993 with three matches to spare after coming from behind twice to beat Tavria Simferopol 3-2 on Sunday.
The 24 sides through from the group phase join the eight third-placed finishers in the Champions League in Monday's draw, including Manchester United and Ajax Amsterdam.
Forced to sell off their best players to keep afloat, many eastern European soccer clubs found themselves easy prey for wealthier rivals from the continent's top leagues in the early rounds of the Champions League and UEFA Cup.
A late header by Linas Pilibaitis gave Lithuanians Kaunas a shock 2-1 victory over Rangers in the Champions League second qualifying round second leg on Tuesday.
A late header by Linas Pilibaitis gave Lithuanians Kaunas a shock 2-1 victory over Rangers in the Champions League second qualifying round.
Sevilla clinched a sixth Europa League title with a roller-coaster 3-2 win over Inter Milan after an overhead kick by defender Diego Carlos deflected by the Italian side's top scorer Romelu Lukaku settled a thrilling contest on Friday.
Liverpool and England striker Peter Crouch is to discuss a move to Portsmouth after the Premier League clubs reached a verbal agreement on the player's transfer, Liverpool said on Monday.
IMAGES from the Champions League semi-final played between PSG and Leipzig at Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica in Lisbon on Tuesday.
Twice UEFA Cup winners Sevilla failed to reach the knockout phase after a 1-0 defeat at Sampdoria eliminated the Spaniards. Sampdoria's victory sent them through from Group C along with VfB Stuttgart, who thumped Standard Liege 3-0 to progress to Friday's last 32 draw. Paris St Germain, twice winners Tottenham Hotspur, NEC Nijmegen and Olympiakos Piraeus also sealed places in the first knockout round.
The last UEFA Cup final will be a clash of German brawn and Ukrainian technique, Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu said ahead of their clash with Werder Bremen in Istanbul on Wednesday. From next season UEFA's second-tier competition becomes the Europa League.
The Serie A side progressed from Group D with a game to spare after beating Dinamo Zagreb 2-1. Galatasaray, the 2000 winners, Standard Liege, Twente Enschede and Ukraine's Metalist Kharkiv also reached the last 32, joining favourites AC Milan, CSKA Moscow, Manchester City and St Etienne who had already qualified.
Hamburg SV stunned hosts Werder Bremen 1-0 in their UEFA Cup semi-final first leg on Thursday with Piotr Trochowski's first-half goal putting the visitors in control of the tie. Midfielder Trochowski beat keeper Tim Wiese when he peeled back to the far post to meet a Guy Demel cross and headed it over the helpless keeper in the 28th minute.
Seven-times European champions AC Milan eased some of the pressure on coach Carlo Ancelotti with a 3-1 UEFA Cup win at home to FC Zurich on Thursday.
Zenit St Petersburg became the first Russian team to win the European Super Cup when they earned a 2-1 win over Manchester United on Friday.
Former Japan and Fenerbahce coach Zico, who left Uzbek champions Bunyodkor last month, has signed a three-year contract with CSKA Moscow, the Russian premier league club said.
Brazilian Ronaldinho struck deep into injury time to give favourites AC Milan a 1-0 UEFA Cup group stage win at home to Braga on Thursday while twice winners Sevilla suffered a 1-0 defeat at Standard Liege.
Goals from Jan Vertonghen and Jermain Defoe left Tottenham Hotspur on the cusp of the Europa League knockout stages as four other clubs maintained perfect starts on Thursday.
Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink headed a stoppage time winner for Celtic in a 2-1 win over Rangers, who had Carlos Cuellar sent off during the pulsating Scottish Premier League derby on Wednesday.
Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg lost 1-0 at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday but eased into the UEFA Cup semi-finals for the first time thanks to their 4-1 lead from the first leg. Zenit, coached by Dutchman Dick Advocaat, had an anxious time defending their advantage as Leverkusen attacked their goalmouth with vigour from the opening whistle.
UEFA banned two Girondins Bordeaux players on Tuesday for a total of five European club matches after ugly scenes during their UEFA Cup defeat by Anderlecht.
Champions League winners AC Milan clinched an emotional European Super Cup for a record fifth time with a 3-1 victory over Sevilla on Friday.
Images from the football matches played across Europe on Tuesday.
Tottenham were joined in the knockout rounds of the UEFA Cup by Bayer Leverkusen, Spartak Moscow, FC Zurich and Girondins Bordeaux.
AC Milan will not allow World Player of the Year Kaka to play as an over-age player for Brazil at August's Beijing Olympics, the Italian Serie A club said on Sunday. A statement on their web site said only Alexandre Pato and Kaka's brother Digao, both under 23, would be permitted to play in Beijing.
Everton missed the chance to confirm a place in next season's UEFA Cup when they were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday. Liverpool, knocked out of the Champions League by Chelsea on Wednesday, won their final home Premier League game, Fernando Torres notching his 32nd goal of the season in all competitions to earn a 1-0 victory over Manchester City.
Everton missed the chance to secure a place in next season's UEFA Cup when they were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
Aston Villa twice came from behind to earn a pulsating 2-2 draw at Everton on Sunday and prolong the battle for fifth place in the Premier League and a UEFA Cup place.
Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 home draw by Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg in the first leg of their UEFA Cup semi-final on Thursday. The Bundesliga leaders led through Franck Ribery's 18th-minute goal but, Brazil defender Lucio deflected a cross from Viktor Fayzulin past Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn for the shock equaliser on the hour.
Real Mallorca held Espanyol to an an entertaining 2-2 draw in the Primera Liga on Saturday.
A controversial penalty from top scorer Frederic Kanoute and an Alexander Kherzhakov header gave holders Sevilla a 2-1 first-leg lead over twice winners Tottenham Hotspur in their UEFA Cup quarter-final.
Like Chelsea, the humble Hertfordshire club, whose only season in European football was 35 years ago, completed their third victory from three games on Sunday, when they beat Crystal Palace 2-1 to add to victories over Brighton and Burnley.
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