Valencia to meet Inter after UEFA Cup upsets
( 2002-03-01 10:51 ) (7 )

Inter Milan's Nicola Ventola (L) is challenged by Aek Athens Michalis Kapsis during their fourth round second leg UEFA Cup soccer match in Athens' Nikos Goumas stadium February 28, 2002. [Reuters] Valencia's John Carew (R) and Servette's Stefan Wolf (R) fight for the ball during their UEFA Cup fourth round, second leg match in Geneva February 28, 2002. [Reuters]

Inter Milan lined up a showcase quarter-final against Valencia, as Hapoel Tel Aviv and Slovan Liberec pulled off major upsets on Thursday by knocking Parma and Olympique Lyon out of the UEFA Cup.

Hopes of a 'Battle of Britain' were dashed when Leeds United were beaten 1-0 at Elland Road by PSV Eindhoven following Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's 89th-minute winner, while Rangers lost 3-2 to Feyenoord in Rotterdam.

Borussia Dortmund, European Cup winners in 1997, edged Lille on the away goals rule after a 0-0 draw, and mighty AC Milan needed a penalty shoot-out to see off 10-man Roda JC Kerkrade after losing 1-0 at the San Siro.

Valencia settled for a 2-2 draw with Servette in Geneva to complete a comfortable 5-2 aggregate victory, and Inter also finished locked at 2-2 with AEK Athens, Nicola Ventola's equaliser sealing a 5-3 win for the Italians.

Adding spice to their meeting is the fact that Inter coach Hector Cuper guided Valencia to the last two Champions League finals before moving to the Serie A side this season.

"It's not the ideal draw for us going into the next round," Cuper said. "But I believe that over two matches we will come through that test and win it."

The shock of the night came from Hapoel, who had bundled a depleted Chelsea side out of the competition in the second round and who continued their giant-killing run with a 2-1 win at Parma's Tardini Stadium.

BREAKAWAY GOALS

Parma, who last won the UEFA Cup in 1999, were 2-0 down after 53 minutes following breakaway strikes by Milan Osterc and Istvan Pisont -- a fatal deficit under the away goals rule after a 0-0 draw in Tel Aviv.

"Their second goal killed us," Parma coach Gedeone Carmignani admitted.

Hapoel's reward for becoming the first Israeli team to reach the last eight of the UEFA Cup is to meet five times European champions AC Milan.

It is a prospect the Tel Aviv club could hardly have dreamed of when they played Ararat Yerevan of Armenia in the qualifying round last August.

Milan were rocked by Marc Luijpers' 70th-minute strike, but still managed a 3-2 win on penalties after failing to capitalise in extra time on the 86th-minute dismissal of Roda's Regillio Vrede.

Slovan Liberec, who had dispatched Spain's Celta Vigo and Real Mallorca in previous rounds, went one better by handing a 4-1 hammering to a Lyon side that had started the season in the elite Champions League.

Title contenders in the French first division and with everything to play for after a 1-1 stalemate at home, Lyon were also drawing 1-1 on the night -- before being floored by three goals in the last 14 minutes.

Slovan next face Dortmund after the Germans ended French interest in the competition with a goalless draw at home to Lille.

MISERABLE SEASON

Leeds's recent problems continued as poor defending allowed Vennegoor of Hesselink to head home a rebound off the crossbar a minute from time.

Leeds, who have not won a game since New Year's Day and who have tumbled from top to sixth in the premier league, squandered chances in the first half and were overrun after the break.

"I thought in the second half, they were the better team. Too many of our big players didn't play well in the second half," Leeds manager David O'Leary told Sky Sports.

"We just didn't get the ball, didn't keep the ball, didn't pass the ball well...the goal was always coming."

PSV now face an all-Dutch quarter-final against Feyenoord.

After getting a 1-1 draw in Glasgow, Feyenoord were rocked by an early strike from Neil McCann in Rotterdam before two goals from Pierre van Hooijdonk and another from Bonaventure Kalou made it 3-1.

The game swung Rangers' way early in the second half, though, when Feyenoord had Patrick Pauwe sent off and Barry Ferguson converted a penalty.

But Rangers' hopes of an equaliser that would have sent them through on the away goals rule were hit by the dismissal of McCann in the 72nd minute.

"Even when it was 10 versus 10 I thought we were the better team. They were on the ropes," Rangers coach Alex McLeish said. "I thought there was only going to be one winner."

The quarter-finals will be played on March 14 and 21.