LONDON (AP) — The UEFA Cup, already a distant second in stature to the Champions League, lost two of its top-name clubs on Thursday.
Former European champion Olympique Marseille was knocked out of the round of 16 by Zenit St. Petersburg, and Bulgaria's Levski Sofia eliminated Italy's Udinese.
At St. Petersburg, Russia, Zenit and Marseille tied 1-1, with the Russian club reaching its first UEFA Cup quarterfinals 2-1 on aggregate. At Sofia, Bulgaria, Daniel Borimirov and Igor Tomasic scored in the second half and Levski Sofia rallied to beat Italy's Udinese 2-1. They played to a scoreless tie in the first leg.
In other games on Thursday, Basel advanced to the quarterfinals at the expense of Strasbourg, Germany's Schalke got by Palermo and Romanian club Steaua Bucharest knocked out Spanish team Real Betis.
