Qualifiers hailed in Germany and Ukraine

Newspapers and websites in Germany and Ukraine were today celebrating a domestic lineup to the UEFA Cup semi-finals, with Werder Bremen facing northern rivals Hamburger SV and FC Shakhtar Donetsk taking on FC Dynamo Kyiv – guaranteeing both countries a presence in the 20 May final in Istanbul. We look at the jubilation and disappointment that followed the quarter-final second-leg matches.

HSV and Werder make Bundesliga shine!
Kicker, Germany
The first German-German semi-final in a European cup for 20 years has been sealed. In quarter-final second-leg matches that were more than just entertaining, Bremen and Hamburg came out on top and will now meet in the semis to decide the German half of the final. The second finalist, meanwhile, will definitely be from Ukraine.

Another semi-final with dialect!
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany
Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen are set for the first German UEFA Cup semi-final for 20 years. One week after their 3-1 home wins against Manchester City and Udinese Calcio, the two Bundesliga sides took advantage of their good starts to the ties. As the two teams will also face each other in the semis of the German Cup and another time in Bundesliga, there will now be four north German derbies in 19 days.

Ukraine and Germany are in the final!
www.delfi.ua, Ukraine
The Istanbul final of the UEFA Cup will be a showdown between Ukraine and Germany. The Kiev side were the only team of the four semi-finalists who did not win in the first leg, but Yuri Semin's men paid back all they owed against Paris Saint-Germain at home. The blue and whites routed the French 3-0 and will now meet their perennial Ukrainian league rivals Shakhtar. It has to be remembered that Dynamo have already beaten a Ukrainian side in this UEFA Cup, prevailing over Metalist Kharkiv in the Round of 16.

Tell me, Semin, not in vain...
Sport-Express, Ukraine
It would have been very difficult to make a prediction like that – 3-0! It couldn't have been imagined by Paris Saint-Germain fans in their worst nightmares or by Dynamo fans in their happiest dreams.

Brave Udinese not enough, Italy out of Europe
Corriere dello Sport, Italy
Udinese gave everything until the final minute, played well, sometimes seemed irresistible for Bremen but missed out on their share of the luck. It's a pity because Udinese would have deserved a win, but Diego was once again the difference between the two sides. The Friulani, the last Italian team left in Europe, departed the competition but can surely keep their heads up for the way they played.

Mark Hughes finds respite after Manchester City summon spirit at exit door
The Times, England
Manchester City bowed out of the UEFA Cup last night with their heads held high as Mark Hughes's players came within touching distance of pulling off one of the great European comebacks. Had they enjoyed a little more luck, or shown a touch more composure in front of goal, it would probably have been City, not Martin Jol's Hamburg, celebrating a place in the semi-finals, but as difficult as his team's elimination was to take for Hughes, the Welshman had every reason to be breathing a little easier this morning.

Exit, this way
L’Equipe, France
There are no more French sides in European cups and it's a sad fact for our game, which has today been made fully aware of the gap that has opened up with football in Ukraine. OM, the Ligue 1 leaders, were never in contention for a place in the last four and were even denied a draw in the dying moments by Luiz Adriano.