Shay Given rescued Manchester City’s faltering European dreams on Thursday when he pulled off two stunning penalty shootout saves to put his team into the UEFA Cup quarter-finals.
Big-spending Manchester City surrendered a 2-0 first leg lead against Danish outsiders Aalborg in the last six minutes of normal time in the return tie.
Given then held his nerve to save from Thomas Augustinussen and former Sheffield United striker Luton Shelton while Ched Evans, Elano, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Richard Dunne were all successful with their spotkicks for Mark Hughes’s side.
PHOTO: EPA
City could have wrapped the tie up with eight minutes of normal time remaining in Denmark when Robinho had a fierce drive come back off the crossbar.
Two minutes later, Shelton gave the Danes hope when he stabbed home a right-wing cross. Then, in the last minute, Evans was penalized for handball and Michael Jakobsen coolly stroked home the penalty.
Defending champs Zenit St Petersburg went out 2-1 on aggregate to Udinese, the only Italian side left in European competition this season, to become the fourth UEFA Cup winners to exit at the last 16 stage.
Zenit beat Udinese 1-0, but the Serie A side made sure of their place in yesterday’s draw courtesy of their 2-0 lead from the first leg.
Anatoliy Tymoshchuk was on target for Zenit in the 34th minute when he headed an Ivica Krizanac cross past Udinese goalkeeper Samir Handanovic.
Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk became the first Ukrainian sides to reach the last eight.
Dynamo lost 3-2 to fellow Ukrainians Metalist Kharkiv on the night but progressed on away goals having won the opening leg 1-0.
Metalist were ahead on the half-hour through Valentyn Sliusar with Jaja making it 2-0 after 56 minutes.
Goran Sabljic found the net on 68 minutes for Kiev to edge his side ahead on the away goals rule before Walter Anibal Acevedo swiftly made it 3-1 on the night for Metalist. But an own goal from Andriy Berezovchuk 11 minutes from the end sent Kiev into the quarter-finals.
Shakhtar saw off 2005 champions CSKA Moscow 2-0 after trailing 1-0 from the first meeting with Brazilian imports Fernandinho, with a penalty and Luiz Adriano scoring.
Galatasary, the 2004 champions, were knocked out, losing 3-2 at home to Hamburg and 4-3 on aggregate.
Peruvian international Jose Paolo Guerrero twice scored for the German visitors after Harry Kewell, with a 42nd-minute penalty, and Milan Baros’s 48th-minute strike seemed to have put the Turks in charge.
Guerrero struck in the 57th minute and then on the hour with Ivica Olic sealing Hamburg’s place in the last eight in the last minute.
Paris Saint-Germain also made the quarter-finals with 1-0 win at Sporting Braga with Guillaume Hoarau heading in a Clement Chantome free-kick in the 81st minute just moments after coming on as a substitute.
In UEFA Cup quarter-final draws yesterday in Nyon, Switzerland, Manchester City were given a chance to avenge defeat to a German club in the UEFA Cup some 30 years ago when they were drawn against Hamburg.
Manchester City, who have failed to glitter in the Premier League despite massive investment in players after being bought by the Abu Dhabi United consortium, last reached the UEFA Cup quarter-finals in 1979 only to be beaten by another German side, Borussia Monchengladbach.
The match will see City manager Mark Hughes pitting his wits against Martin Jol, who he crossed paths with when the Dutchman was managing Spurs.
Should Hamburg progress and deny City their last hope of silverware this season, they could play Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen in the last four after they were drawn with Udinese, the sole remaining Italian club in European club competition.
The other two matches are both France-Ukraine clashes as Paris Saint Germain play Dynamo Kiev and Marseille take on Shakhtar Donetsk — setting up a potentially explosive semi-final between the bitter French rivals.
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