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Results Based News

Werder edge into last eight

Author: Rose Young
Date: 19/03/2009

Werder Bremen and Marseille sealed their passage into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup after securing narrow aggregate victories on Wednesday.

Werder drew 2-2 at St Etienne to seal a 3-2 aggregate win after easing into a 2-0 lead in France thanks to first-half goals by Sebastian Prodl and Claudio Pizarro.

Yohan Benalouane and Sebastian Grax grabbed second-half goals for St Etienne but it was not enough for the French side to claw back the deficit.

Meanwhile, betting favourites Marseille sealed a 4-3 aggregate victory against Ajax thanks to Tyrone Mears' extra-time header.

Ajax actually took the lead when Eyong Enoh scored just after the half-hour mark, but Mamadou Niang put the visitors back in front in the tie two minutes later.

Miralem Sulejmani's goal took the last-16 game into extra-time only for Mears to grab Marseille's winner in the 110th minute.

In the Championship, a Ross McCormack penalty in stoppage time helped Cardiff City beat Watford 2-1 as the Bluebirds kept their promotion hopes alive, while Aberdeen crashed out of the Scottish Cup to lowly first division opponents Dunfermline after a penalty shoot-out.

India are in control of the first Test against New Zealand after closing the second day on 278-4 in reply to the Black Caps' first-innings total of 279.

Gautam Gambhir (72) and Rahul Dravid (66) put on 105 for the second wicket, while Sachin Tendulkar (70 not out) was still there at the close in Hamilton.

Paceman Chris Martin (2-53) was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers.

Meanwhile, England will face New Zealand in the final of the Women's World Cup after the Kiwis beat Pakistan by 223 runs.

England lost their final Super Six match by eight wickets to Australia but had already qualified for Sunday's final in Sydney.

In tennis, Andy Murray moved into the last eight of the Indian Wells Masters after Tommy Robredo was forced to retire with a wrist injury. The Scot was winning 6-2 3-0 when the Spaniard decided to call it a day.

World number one Rafael Nadal survived five match points before beating David Nalbandian 3-6 7-6 6-0 to reach the quarter-finals while Roger Federer cruised to a 6-3 5-7 6-2 win over Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.

Fernando Verdasco beat German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4 3-6 6-1 while third seed Novak Djokovic struggled to a 7-6 7-6 win against Stanislas Wawrinka.

Andy Roddick beat David Ferrer while Juan Martin del Potro saw off John Isner and unseeded Ivan Ljubicic secured a hard-fought three-set win over Igor Andreev.

In the women's quarter-finals, top seed Dinara Safina surprisingly lost in three sets to Victoria Azarenka while Vera Zvonareva eased to a 6-4 6-2 win against Caroline Wozniacki.

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