Valencia 0 - Werder Bremen 2

Valencia: Cañizares; Curro Torres, Caneira, David Navarro, Moretti; Baraja, Marchena; Angulo, Aimar (Di Vaio 60'), Xisco (Vicente 60'); Mista (Corradi 60'). 4-2-3-1.
Bremen: Reinke; Stalteri, Baumann, Ismael, Pasanen; Borowski, Ernst, Micoud, Jensen (Magnin 44'); Charisteas (Váldez 80'), Klose (Klasnic 89'). 4-4-2.

Goals:
0-1. 82. Valdez. Collected long Ismael pass and rounded Cañizares to score.
0-2. 92. Valdez. Picked up Borowski free kick and fired shot in from edge of area.

Valencia are out of the Champions League after losing at home to Werder Bremen on a rainy night in the Mestalla stadium. Ranieri's side had done the hard work a couple of weeks ago and fate was now in their own hands, a 1-0 win or a victory by two goals or more sure of taking them through to the knockout stage. The manager opted for the old guard up front, bringing back Mista, Aimar and Angulo and leaving Di Vaio and Corradi on the bench alongside Vicente, who rejoined the squad for the first time after a two month lay-off for injury.

They struggled to get going at the beginning though, and Cañizares had to be on his toes to keep out efforts from Charisteas and Micoud early on. Valencia's first efforts at goal didn't come until later in the first half, Mista failing to take advantage of Aimar's pass and then firing a shot straight at the keeper. And a couple of minutes after the restart, the striker headed an easy chance wide after Aimar's shot ballooned off a defender.

With time running out, Ranieri decided to make a triple change, bringing on Di Vaio, Corradi and Vicente. Di Vaio was in the action straight away, firing a vicious volley which the keeper touched onto the crossbar, and beating the offside trap only to be pulled up for a non-existent offside. But Bremen were always dangerous on the breakaway, and with eight minutes to go substitute Valdez got past the defence to pick up a long pass from Ismael and round Cañizares to score.

That was virtually the end, as Valencia now needed three goals to win. Nerves started to fray, and Angulo got himself sent off with a reckless tackle on Valdez, making things worse for himself by spitting at Borowski on the way off the pitch. That set off a brawl between the two sides, and Vicente and Ismael were lucky to get away with yellow cards from referee Anders Frisk. And when things died down, a distracted defence stood and watched as Borowski found Valdez with his free kick for him to fire a second goal into the roof of the net.

Valencia are not out of Europe altogether; they enter the next round of the UEFA cup as third placed side in their mini-league, and have a chance to defend the title they won last season. But that's what nobody wanted.