Juventus 2 Werder Bremen 1/Aggregate: 4-4, Juventus win on away goals: Juventus were within two minutes of elimination last night when Brazilian midfielder Emerson accepted an unexpected gift from Werder Bremen to earn a place in the quarter-finals.
Like the first leg in Bremen, won 3-2 by the German side, there was drama from first minute to last in Turin. The scorer of that winning goal at the Weserstadion, Johan Micoud, broke the deadlock after 13 minutes, before Juve staged a stirring second-half comeback to win the tie through strikes from David Trezeguet (65) and Emerson (88) - the latter after young Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese inexplicably spilled the ball under no pressure near his penalty area.
Juve went close to taking the lead with their very first attack after three minutes when Pavel Nedved appeared behind the visiting rearguard and struck a dangerous low ball across goal from the right-hand side of the penalty. With Trezeguet shaping to score with a trademark close-range shot, Patrick Owomoyela stretched to clear the ball just ahead of the striker.
When the opening goal arrived 10 minutes later it was from the boot of a Frenchman, but not one of Trezeguet's as Micoud expertly finished a delightfully simple move which sliced open the heart of the Bianconeri defence.
Receiving the ball in midfield, Tim Borowski passed first time to Christian Schulz who in turn found Micoud advancing into the Juventus area. The former Parma FC man drew Gianluigi Buffon before deliciously flicking it over the Italian international with his right foot.
Fabio Capello's men took the game straight back to the visitors, with Nedved heading a corner straight at Wiese on the quarter-hour mark and Schulz almost heading a long ball into his goal with the advancing Wiese completely stranded following a breakdown in communication.
From the ensuing corner Zlatan Ibrahimovic pounced on a loose clearance, only for his half-volley to be charged down by Owomoyela.
The lively Germany full-back then picked out Ivan Klasnic with a searching pass from the halfway line which the Croatia striker blazed over.
Klasnic was again denied by Buffon when he turned and shot in the area following more good running from Owomoyela, but it was Juventus who had the better of the flurry of late opportunities in the half.
With another outswinging corner deceiving the Bremen defence, Nedved picked up the loose ball on the edge of the area and unleashed a fierce shot which Wiese blocked. The ball fell at the feet of the unmarked Emerson who - like everyone in the Delle Alpi - looked on in disbelief as the 24-year-old goalkeeper turned the shot over the bar with his body.
Having withstood an early second-half storm, Bremen almost struck a second as Borowski fired wide under pressure from Cannavaro in the 53rd minute. Capello responded by bringing on Alessandro Del Piero and Adrian Mutu and within eight minutes they were level. Trezeguet started the move and finished it, lifting the ball over the defence for Nedved who took it on his chest and sped towards the area where Trezeguet stole in to dispatch a low drive beyond Wiese.
Wiese was then equal to everything which Juventus threw at him until he presented the tie to the two-time winners in the 88th minute, Emerson atoning for his earlier miss.
JUVENTUS: Buffon, Zebina, Thuram, Cannavaro, Zambrotta (Balzaretti 70), Camoranesi (Mutu 57), Emerson, Vieira, Nedved, Ibrahimovic (Del Piero 57), Trezeguet. Subs not used: Abbiati, Chiellini, Blasi, Giannichedda. Booked: Nedved, Del Piero.
WERDER BREMEN: Wiese, Owomoyela, Naldo, Fahrenhorst, Schulz, Frings, Baumann (Pasanen 73), Micoud, Borowski, Klose, Klasnic (Haedo Valdez 81). Subs not used: Vander, Vranjes, Andreasen, Daniel Jensen, Van Damme. Booked: Micoud, Baumann.
Referee: G Poll (Hertfordshire).
