LONDON, 17 December 2005 — Substitute Issam Jemaa scored two minutes into stoppage time to hand RC Lens a 2-1 Group C win over Sampdoria on Thursday and a place in the knockout phase of the UEFA Cup.
Palermo also ensured they went into Friday’s draw for the round of 32, winning Group B with a 3-0 home victory over Brondby.
The last remaining berths were filled after matches in groups A to D, with 24 teams from the eight sections joining eight sides eliminated from the Champions League group stage.
Monaco and Hamburg SV won their final Group A games and Slavia Prague, beaten 2-0 in Hamburg, also went through in third place.
Group D had already been settled two weeks ago. On Thursday, Middlesbrough secured top spot with a 2-0 home victory over third-placed Litex Lovech of Bulgaria while Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, in second place, beat Grasshoppers Zurich 1-0.
Lens, facing elimination in fourth place in their group before Thursday’s matches, started well and opened the scoring on 10 minutes, striker Olivier Thomert flicking the ball over Sampdoria keeper Luca Castellazzi with plenty of cool.
The visitors responded with a beautiful volley from striker Francesco Flachi in the 24th but Lens kept pushing forward and were rewarded with Jemaa’s last-gasp winner.
Monaco and Lens join Olympique Marseille and Racing Strasborg in the last 32. Of the five French clubs involved, only Stade Rennes failed to survive the group phase.
Palermo cruised through against a Brondby team which played with 10 men for half the game and finished out of the reckoning in fourth place.
The Sicilian team took the lead midway through the first half when striker Stephen Makinwa burst on to Mario Santana’s defense-splitting pass, rounded the keeper and slotted the ball into an empty net. The visitors’ chances of fighting their way back were ended by a double blow before halftime.
First Palermo extended their advantage, with Leandro Rinaudo forcing the ball over the line in a goalmouth scramble. The Danes were then reduced to 10 men when defender Thomas Rytter was red-carded for a second bookable offense.
Two minutes from the end, Rinaudo grabbed Palermo’s third by heading Eugenio Corini’s free kick into the top corner.
In Hamburg, striker Emile Mpenza missed a penalty but made up for it by grabbing the home side’s second goal in a comfortable win.
Sergei Barbarez headed in a Stefan Beinlich cross to put them ahead in the ninth minute.
Slavia keeper Matus Kozacik was sent off for bringing down Mpenza on his way to goal on the half hour. The Belgian missed the spot kick but Hamburg stayed in control and Mpenza lifted the ball over substitute keeper Aleksander Seliga for the second goal in the 57th minute.
Germany also have four teams in the last 32: Hamburg, Hertha Berlin, VfB Stuttgart and Schalke 04.
Monaco went in front four minutes after the interval with a fine volley from midfielder Olivier Kapo and France defender Sebastien Squillaci doubled their lead with 16 minutes to go. Velizar Dimitrov pulled one back for Bulgarians CSKA.
