Bremen quick on the draw in France

Werder Bremen booked their place in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals even if, three goals up in their last-16 tie after 28 minutes, they had to withstand a spirited comeback from AS Saint-Etienne.

Les Verts recovery
Thomas Schaaf's men appeared to be strolling towards Friday's draw in Nyon as they approached the half-hour mark, goals from Sebastian Prödl and Claudio Pizarro adding to Naldo's strike in last week's first leg to give them a 3-0 aggregate lead. It looked bleak for the majority at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, especially with home coach Alain Perrin having rested several of his first-choice team. However, Yohan Benalouane pulled one goal back midway through the second half and substitute Sébastien Grax made it 2-2 on the night late on, though even then the hosts still needed two more.

Aerial threat
The draw will give Perrin some hope as he focuses on lifting St-Etienne out of the Ligue 1 drop zone, even if his ploy of selecting several youngsters initially backfired. Prödl put the full-strength visitors firmly in the driving seat after just six minutes when he rose to head Torsten Frings' corner past Jérémie Janot and they were cruising when Pizarro nodded in Mesut Özil's left-wing cross just before the half-hour mark. The home fans showed their disapproval by turning their backs to the pitch; yet all, it seemed, they risked missing was another Bremen goal, with Markus Rosenberg going close.

Nervous finale
Yet the hosts recovered and centre-back Benalouane reduced the arrears on 64 minutes, rising unmarked to head in Cédric Varrault's far-post cross after Bremen had thrice failed to clear their lines. Jolted back into action, only a last-ditch clearance from Moustapha Bayal Sall kept out Diego's effort but it was St-Etienne who were doing most of the running and Bafétimbi Gomis and David Sauget both sent efforts just wide. Les Verts did get their equaliser when Grax fired in after being put through by fellow replacement Dimitri Payet, but it was too little, too late.