LONDON (AP):THREE SPANISH teams advanced to the UEFA Cup semi-finals yesterday, with defending champions Sevilla leading the way.
Osasuna and Espanyol also reached the last four, while Werder Bremen claimed the final spot.
Sevilla scored twice in the first eight minutes to hold two-time champions Tottenham to a 2-2 draw and advance 4-3 on aggregate. Steed Malbranque scored an own-goal and former Tottenham forward Frederic Kanoute added the second for Sevilla.
Osasuna beat visiting Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 and advanced 4-0 on aggregate, while Espanyol held hosts Benfica to a 0-0 draw to advance 3-2. Miroslav Klose scored two goals to help Bremen beat AZ Alkmaar 4-1 and advance by the same score after a 0-0 draw in the Netherlands.
In the first leg of the semi-finals on April 26, Osasuna will host Sevilla and Espanyol will host Bremen. The second legs are scheduled for May 3.
Sevilla are trying to become the first team since Real Madrid in 1986 to win consecutive UEFA Cup titles.
Sevilla, in second place in the Spanish league, took the lead in the third minute when Jos Lus Mart's corner was headed towards net by Christian Poulsen and Malbranque knocked it in his own net while trying to clear.
Kanoute, who scored a disputed penalty against his old team in the first leg, then exchanged passes with Alexander Kerzhakov in the eighth before beating Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson with his left foot.
Quick goals
Tottenham rallied in the second half, getting quick goals from Jermaine Defoe and Aaron Lennon. Defoe deflected in a shot from Robbie Keane in the 65th, and Lennon knocked in a loose ball in the 67th after Keane's attempt was blocked.
Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Dawson both had late chances for Tottenham.
"They were the team of the year last year but I still feel we would've had a bigger chances if we don't give away goals like we did for the first one," Tottenham manager Martin Jol said. "We tend to give away this season cheap goals."
Klose, the leading scorer at the World Cup, ended his 12-game goalless run for Bremen by finishing off a good move in the 36th. He added a second in the 62nd.
"I knew Klose would regain his scoring touch because he was working hard and I knew he had not forgotten how to score goals," Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf said.
Tim Borowski had given the German team the lead in the 16th, but Moussa Dembele briefly equalised for AZ. Diego added the final goal for Bremen in the 82nd.
Osasuna, who are in the semi-finals of the competition for the first time, got their lone goal from Juanlu Gmez in the 62nd.
Benfica, needing just a goal to reach the semi-finals for the first time in 24 years, hit the post twice in two minutes during a period of late pressure. But Espanyol, who are undefeated in the competition this season, had little trouble holding the Portuguese team scoreless.
Had a few chances
"We had a few chances but we have to give credit to our adversary because they basically shut us out," Benfica coach Fernando Santos said.
Three Spanish teams in the UEFA Cup semi-finals isn't a record. Four German teams reached the last four in 1980 - Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Moenchengladbach and Stuttgart. Frankfurt beat Moenchengladbach in the final.
