Hamburg and Werder Give Bundesliga Two In The Final Eight

A stunning come back from a two goal deficit saw Hamburg join Werder Bremen in the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup.

Going to Istanbul, having already conceded a precious road goal, Hamburg had to score a goal against Galatasaray. A dreadful first half, where Martin Jol’s men were played off the pitch, saw them go down further when Jerome Boateng took down Milan Baros for a penalty that Harry Kewell finished with aplomb in the 42nd. Things got worse after the break when Baros took an Arda, who had an outstanding game, cross and craftily netted a second. Hamburg looked done and dusted.

But the visitors stunned the 2000 Champions and scored twice within three minutes, both goals coming from Paulo Guerrero. The first was engineered by Jonathan Pitroipa, moving down the wing where Gala had defended ferociously until the two-goal lead. The second was a long ball special that Olic laid off for the Peruvian. As Galatasaray chased a goal to win the game, Hamburg absorbed the pressure and then hit on the counter to put the contest out of reach with a late goal by Olic.

They join their northern neighbors in the last eight, as Werder scored two early goals in St. Etienne, by Prodl and Pizarro, and rode out the remainder of the match to draw with the French side and win the tie on aggregate.

In a week where Uli Hoeness was demanding public money to fund German teams in Europe, it seems that that he forgot that there is still plenty of talent in the Bundesliga. With 3 of the last 16 teams in European competition, Hoeness is going to have a tough time selling his plan. The draw for the quarters of both cups will take place tomorrow.