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Werder and Shakhtar in final

FRANKFURT: Werder Bremen and Shakhtar Donetsk both reached their first UEFA Cup football final with narrow victories on Thursday.

Werder rallied to beat Hamburger SV 3-2 in the second leg of the all-German final on Thursday and went through on the away goals rule, with the aggregate score 3-3 after Hamburg’s 1-0 win in Bremen one week ago.

Shakhtar edged Dynamo Kiev 2-1 in the second leg of the all-Ukrainian match-up to advance 3-2 on aggregate. Brazilian midfielder Ilsinho scored the winner late in the game.

In a fast-paced game in Hamburg, Ivica Olic scored for the home team in the 13th minute, but Diego tied the game in the 29th after a neat 1-2 move with Claudio Pizarro.

Pizarro scored in the 66th for a 2-1 Werder lead with a superb shot form 25m and Frank Baumann made it 3-1 in the 83rd with a header from close range.

Olic scored his second in the 87th to send the game into a thrilling finish.

Desperate attempts

Werder held off Hamburg’s desperate late attempts to make its second final of the season. Werder also eliminated Hamburg in the semifinals of the German Cup.

In the final, Werder will be without playmaker Diego and striker Hugo Almeida, who both picked up yellow cards that rule them out.

Olic had a strike denied in the second half when he was called for a foul, although television replays seemed to indicate that he had been fouled instead. Pizarro also had a strike denied for offside.

In Donetsk, Brazilian midfielder Ilsinho scored the winner with one minute left in regulation.

He collected a long ball on the right, cut inside the box while faking two Dynamo players, Badr El Kaddouri and Ayila Yussuf, and shot the ball inside the far post.

Shakhtar took the lead on Jadson’s shot from 13m in the 17th minute after defender Betao failed to control Darijo Srna’s cross into the box from the right.

Guinean striker Ismael Bangoura equalised two minutes into the second-half, breaking through two defenders to shoot into the lower left corner.

The results: Semifinals: Second leg:

Hamburg SV 2 (Olic 12, 87) lost to Werder Bremen 3 (Diego 29, Pizarro 66, Baumann 83). Werder Bremen wins on away goals rule.

Shakhtar Donetsk 2 (Jadson 17, Ilsinho 89) bt Dynamo Kiev 1 (Bangoura 47). Shakhtar Donetsk wins 3-2 on aggregate) . — Agencies

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