Bremen Suffer Shock Defeat at Turin

Werder Bremen was knocked out of the top European club competition on Tuesday in a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Juventus Turin, and it was goalkeeper Tim Wiese who turned from hero to goat just two minutes from time.

The goalie had played a fantastic game for almost 90 minutes, and admittedly his saves looked to be the difference for Bremen. But when he grabbed a cross and unnecessarily rolled to the ground in the 88th minute, the ball slipped out of his hands and onto the foot of an astonished Emerson, who turned quickly and slotted the ball into the empty net -- a shocking result when a ticket to the quarter-finals was only inches away for the Germans. But based on the away goals rule, Turin will be playing in the next round of the Champions League.

Fast start for Werder

The match started off so promising for coach Thomas Schaaf’s team. They trotted onto the field at Delle Alpi stadium exuding confidence. And the hosts looked intimidated to a certain extent. Bremen played unflappable soccer in the beginning and French midfield playmaker Johan Micoud put the northern Germans on top in the 13th minute, coolly beating Turin keeper Gianluigi Buffon. It was a dream start, latching onto the incredible 3-2 first-leg victory.

That goal woke up the Italians, but for most of the first-half, Turin looked as if they knew they had met their match. But a great team with players like Alessandro Del Piero, Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet doesn’t give up for 90 minutes. When the second-half started, keeper Wiese proved that his acquisition for this season was no mistake, making some great saves. And he was by no means to blame for the equalizer by French international Trezeguet in the 65th minute. Bremen fans were then biting their nails for the next 25 minutes and Wiese looked as if he would single-handedly hold Turin to a draw until that fateful roll in the 88th minute. It’s a bitter defeat for Bremen that will be hard-pressed to bounce back from this loss.

There were two other matches on Tuesday evening in the Champions League, the biggest of which was the clash of two of Europe’s best teams -- Premiership side Chelsea versus the giants from Barcelona. This time around the Catalonians knocked out Jose Mourinho’s Blues. After a first-leg victory in London, a 1-1 draw at home was enough for Barca to move ahead. In the other match, another Spanish club, Villareal advanced. Their 1-1 draw against the Rangers from Glasgow sufficed to get to the next round.