Werder stuns Sampdoria to reach CL group stage

Genoa, Italy (Sports Network) - Markus Rosenberg scored three minutes into stoppage time and Claudio Pizarro scored in the 100th minute, as Werder Bremen advanced to the Champions League group stage despite a 3-2 defeat to Sampdoria on Tuesday at Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Werder advanced on aggregate, 5-4.

Bremen won the first leg of the Champions League playoff in Germany, 3-1, last week, but Giampaolo Pazzini scored a brace inside 13 minutes to put Sampdoria in control before Antonio Cassano added an 85th-minute goal.

Sampdoria led the two-game, aggregate series, 4-3, after Cassano's strike, but Rosenberg rescued Bremen three minutes into second-half stoppage time. He made a nice run on the right to open space and fired back to the left post from 22 yards to force extra time.

After Marko Marin hit the crossbar early in extra time, he helped set up the series-winner. Marin dribbled through few defenders before laying off a pass to Pizzaro, who fired a bullet into the bottom-right corner from 22 yards.

Pizzaro's goal put Bremen in complete control with an edge in aggregate and an edge in away goals, and Sampdoria showed little over the final 20 minutes when it needed two goals to advance.

Werder joins Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich and Schalke in the group stage of the tournament. Sampdoria dropped a two-legged series against a German club for the first time, as Italy failed to put a fourth team in the group stage.

Partizan joined Bremen in the group stage thanks to a 3-2 penalty-kick victory over Anderlecht at Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in Belgium. Both games ended 2-2, with Anderlecht scoring twice in the second half Tuesday to even the game and series.

After two scoreless extra periods, Anderlecht fired three of its five penalty kick attempts over the crossbar, as Partizan converted three of its attempts.

Second-half substitute Lima scored three goals in less than 35 minutes of play as Braga stunned Sevilla 4-3 at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan to eliminate the Spanish side on aggregate, 5-3.

Eran Zahavi scored in the 90th minute as Hapoel Tel Aviv sealed its aggregate win over Red Bull Salzburg, 4-3, after a 1-1 draw. Alexander Frei scored twice as Basel beat Sheriff Tiraspol 3-0 on Tuesday to seal a 4-0 aggregate win.

On Wednesday, the group stage teams will be finalized when Rosenborg visits FC Copenhagen, Sparta Prague visits Zilina, Young Boys visits Tottenham, Zenit visits Auxerre, and Dynamo Kyiv visits Ajax.