Galatasaray Stay On Course For Home City Final

The May 20 final will be staged at the home of Galatasaray`s arch-rivals Fenerbahce.

Galatasaray scored a last-minute winner to knock out Girondins Bordeaux in a seven-goal thriller to reach the last 16 and stay on course for a UEFA Cup final in their home city of Istanbul.

Turkey defender Sabri Sarioglu struck from the edge of the penalty area to give the 2000 UEFA Cup winners a 4-3 first knockout round victory at the Ali Sami Yen stadium as Bordeaux's fine fightback from 3-1 down ended in heartbreak.

The May 20 final will be staged at the home of Galatasaray's arch-rivals Fenerbahce.

Bordeaux had threatened to spoil coach Bulent Korkmaz's first game in charge of last season's Turkish champions by taking a first-minute lead, the opening goal of the tie after a goalless first leg in France.

Korkmaz, a former Turkish international and Gala captain who was appointed on Monday after Michael Skibbe was sacked, had barely taken his seat before David Bellion ran on to Diego Placente's long ball and fired home.

The hosts then took control with two quick goals just before halftime from Arda Turan and substitute Harry Kewell followed by another midway through the second half from midfielder Turan.

Bordeaux stormed back to level at 3-3 through Marouane Chamakh and Fernando Cavenaghi with 15 minutes remaining and were heading through on away goals until Sarioglu's winner.

Galatasaray next face Hamburg SV who progressed 4-0 on aggregate against NEC Nijmegen.

FULL ADVANTAGE

Former UEFA Cup winners CSKA Moscow took full advantage of an under-strength Aston Villa team by easing into the last 16 with a 3-1 aggregate win.

Villa manager Martin O'Neill had made no secret that his season's goal was securing a Champions League qualification place in the Premier League and fielded just three of the starting side that lost 1-0 to Chelsea last weekend.

A 1-1 draw in the first leg at Villa Park left all to play for but in sub-zero temperatures in the Russian capital, the 2005 winners proved too strong in a 2-0 win.

Yuri Zhirkov scored from outside the penalty area just past the hour mark and the competition's leading scorer Vagner Love took his tally to 10 with a crisp finish in stoppage time.

CSKA will play either Shakhtar Donetsk or Tottenham Hotspur in the second knockout round. Olympique Marseille ousted Twente Enschede 7-6 on penalties after the tie ended 1-1 over two legs and Ukraine's Metalist Kharkiv continued their impressive form in the competition by knocking out Sampdoria.

Later on Thursday, Holders Zenit St Petersburg defend a 2-1 lead away at VfB Stuttgart and competition favourites AC Milan welcome Werder Bremen to the San Siro level at 1-1 from the opening leg.