Bremen fight back to reach final

Hamburg 2 Werder Bremen 3 (Werder Bremen advance on away goals after 3-3 aggregate draw)

Werder Bremen can thank two outstanding goals and a plastic cup after coming from behind to book a place in the UEFA Cup final tonight.

Starting the night 1-0 down against Hamburg, the visitors fell further behind to Ivica Olic’s 12th minute goal.

But Diego and Claudio Pizarro linked up for a sublime equaliser on the night, and Pizarro then stunned the hosts with an outstanding long-range strike midway through the second half.

With the game on a knife-edge, it took a bizarre turn when a routine backpass for Michael Gravgaard bobbled up and went out for a corner thanks to a plastic cup on the pitch, and Frank Baumann headed in at the far post to make it 3-1.

Olic headed in a late lifeline for Hamburg, but Werder advance, with the only stain on their night a needless yellow card for Diego that rules the playmaker out of the final.

Hamburg were looking set for Istanbul and a meeting with Shakhtar Donetsk when Olic beat the offside trap to score a simple goal in the 12th minute.

But Werder grew into the game and scored a fine equaliser when Diego found Pizarro, who held the ball up superbly before finding the Brazilian’s run for an easy finish.

Werder’s star midfielder then unleashed a powerful 25-yard shot which Frank Rost tipped onto the crossbar.

But things turned sour for Diego shortly after when he got into a shoving match with Alex Silva to earn a costly booking.

Pizarro had a header ruled out for a narrow offside decision early in the second half, while at the other end Marcell Jansen’s cross somehow evaded Jonathan Pitroipa before Piotr Trochowski’s shot from a tight angle was blocked.

There was no argument when Pizarro next put the ball in the net as the Peruvian picked the ball up on the edge of the centre circle, turned and unleashed an curling 30-yard shot to beat Rost.

Little did Gravgaard know what was yet to come, but he already had an inkling it was not his night when his 78th-minute header was ruled out for a foul in the build up.

Moments later, the soon-to-be famous cup intervened, and despite Olic’s late effort there was no way back for Hamburg.