A late Cosmin Contra goal earned Getafe a 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich on Thursday to give the Madrid side hope of reaching the UEFA Cup semi-finals in their debut European season.
Romanian Contra clipped a close-range shot over a prone Oliver Kahn in the last minute to stun Bayern, four-times European champions and winners of the UEFA Cup in 1996, who had spurned a host of chances at the Allianz Arena.
Italian Luca Toni's eighth goal of the UEFA Cup campaign, a header from a corner, had put the competition favourites ahead on 26 minutes.
On a disappointing night for the other Bundesliga representatives, Bayer Leverkusen were routed 4-1 at home by Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg who put one foot firmly in the last four with a superb counter-attacking display.
The remaining ties are evenly poised. Fiorentina were held to a 1-1 draw at home by PSV Eindhoven while a bad-tempered clash in Glasgow ended goalless between Rangers and Sporting.
Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld described the 1-1 draw with Getafe as "a terrible result" after a match played in pouring rain. "We should have scored two or three more and we paid the price for it," he said.
Toni headed in Bastian Schweinsteiger's outswinging corner but the Bavarians spent the rest of the match rueing their poor finishing.
It allowed Getafe to grow in self-belief. Manu headed against a post with six minutes to go and with the seconds running out, Contra made Bayern pay for failing to clear by chesting down and lifting his shot over the advancing Kahn.
IMPRESSIVE ZENIT
Zenit have made a stuttering start to the defence of their Russian title but hit their stride at the BayArena.
With coach Dick Advocaat watching from the stands as he served the last of a three-match touchline ban, Zenit went ahead after 19 minutes with a terrific Andre Arshavin goal.
The Russian international striker, who will miss his country's first two Euro 2008 games in June through suspension, powered into the penalty area and shot high into the net.
Bayer went in level at the break after Stefan Kiessling's scuffed shot found the net but Zenit moved up a gear.
Arshavin's low cross found an unmarked Pavel Pogrebnyak to make it 2-1, Anyukov beat Rene Adler with a weak shot in the 61st minute and it was 4-1 almost immediately as Denisov finished off another break instigated by Victor Fayzulin.
Bayer's defeat echoed a poor home performance at the same stage of the competition last season when Osasuna romped to a 3-0 win, setting the Spaniards up for a 4-0 aggregate success.
Romania striker Adrian Mutu continued his prolific season for Fiorentina but his early second-half goal at the Artemio Franchi stadium was not enough to beat Dutch league leaders PSV.
Mutu, with 15 goals to his name in Serie A, enjoyed a slice of good fortune on 56 minutes when PSV keeper Heurelho Gomes' attempted clearance rebounded off the striker into the net.
Seven minutes later Danny Koevermans blasted in the equaliser following an incisive pass from Ibrahim Afellay.
"They got their goal straight after ours and we lost our rhythm," Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli told La7 television. "From an individual point of view I am happy with almost everyone. I'm sure next week will be tough."
Rangers failed to prise open a well-organised Sporting defence in a game of few chances at Ibrox.
"I felt we didn't play as well as we have done in a few other European games at home," manager Walter Smith told reporters.
"So, therefore, I have no great complaints about the result although I am disappointed that we didn't test their goalkeeper a bit more."
The return legs are on April 10.
© 2024 Rediff.com -