
Werder Bremen became the first club to book their place in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup, after a 2-2 draw at St Etienne completed a 3-2 aggregate win.
The Bundesliga side's passage to the last eight never appeared in any doubt, after Sebastian Prodl headed them in front in the sixth minute.
Claudio Pizarro added a second in the 28th minute.
But Yohan Benalouane scored what appeared to be a 64th-minute consolation for the home side, and Sebastian Grax then grabbed a last-minute equaliser to earn St Etienne some respect despite their elimination.
St Etienne coach Alain Perrin made numerous changes, giving many of his younger squad players the chance to shine against opponents who arrived at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard with a practically first-choice line-up.
Prodl had the visitors in front when he rose to head Torsten Frings' corner powerfully past Jeremie Janot from close range.
Bremen doubled their lead with another close-range header, this time from Pizarro after Mesut Ozil swung the ball in dangerously from the left wing to allow the Peruvian striker to beat Janot low to his left.
The home fans showed their disapproval by turning their backs to the pitch; yet all, it seemed, they risked missing was another Bremen goal.
That nearly came in the 35th minute when Janot left his post, only for Markus Rosenberg to fail to take advantage with a cross which was not accurate enough to reach Pizarro in front of an open goal.
The home side reduced the arrears through Benalouane.
Cedric Varrault's cross found his fellow defender unmarked at the far post for a simple header, after Bremen failed to clear their lines on three occasions.
Bremen's coveted midfielder Diego had a shot cleared off the line by Moustapha Bayal Sall as Bremen went close to a third - before Bafetimbi Gomis and David Sauget sent efforts just wide of the target as Les Verts searched for an equaliser.
They got one in the second minute of stoppage time through Grax, who beat Wiese with a low shot into the far corner after being put through by Dimitri Payet.

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