Sevilla's remarkable season continued on Thursday as Juande Ramos's defending champions reached the final of the UEFA Cup at the expense of Osasuna.
The English missed out on
dominating the Champions League final as AC Milan hijacked the party on Wednesday, but the Spanish made no such mistakes in Europe's second competition as Espanyol joined their countrymen in the May 16 final in Glasgow, ousting Werder Bremen.
Sevilla, the holders, will feel confident for the final after overcoming a 1-0 first leg deficit to master their Pamplonan opponents in the return leg.
In fairness there could easily have been more to show for the hosts than two goals from Brazilians Luis Fabiano and Renato.
They controlled the match from start to finish and showed their class in coming through for a second successive final -- they destroyed English side Middlesbrough 4-0 in last season's final.
It means Sevilla's incredible bid to win the UEFA Cup, Spanish league and Spanish Cup is still on.
They trail champions and leaders Barcelona by a single point in the league and in the Cup they hold a 3-0 advantage over Deportivo la Coruna ahead of their semifinal second leg, at home.
Sevilla took the lead in very British fashion when a long punt forward found the chest of Fabiano. His control was impressive but what happened next owed its place more to a Sunday pub league than the European platform.
Fabiano bulldozed his way through three weak tackles from defenders, the ball ricocheting off everything in his path before he coolly slotted home past Lopez Ricardo, formerly of Manchester United, in the Osasuna goal.
That made it 1-0 on the night and 1-1 on aggregate -- the tie finely balanced.
Sevilla really should have had a two-goal lead at the break but French forward Freddie Kanoute headed straight at Ricardo from six yards out after Fabiano's presence caused havoc in the Osasuna box.
Kanoute was presented with a free header but could get no power or direction on it.
After the break Cameroon forward Pierre Webo could have restored parity on the night but he blazed over the bar when well placed from 20 yards out.
That proved a costly miss as Sevilla doubled their advantage as Renato ran unchecked into the Osasuna box to meet a Daniel Alves
cross with an outstretched and supple leg, diverting the ball past an astounded Ricardo, who was left rooted to the spot.
That made it 2-0 on the night and gave Sevilla the lead over two legs but a goal from Osasuna would have been enough to sneak through to the final on the away goals rule.
That so nearly arrived as Webo sent a header against the post just minutes after the second goal but Sevilla were not to be denied a chance at repeating last year's success.
Away in Germany, Bremen, faced with a 3-0 deficit to make up from their first-leg trouncing, got off to a flying start with a goal after just four minutes, but went down to 10-men when Klose was shown two yellow cards in just 18 first-half minutes.
Second-half goals by striker Ferran Corominas and defender Jesus Maria Lacruz killed off Bremen's chances, but their coach, Thomas Schaaf, took the defeat -their third in three games -- with good grace.
He said: "We have to take the defeat on the chin, because we were already 3-0 down from the first leg.
"We gave it our best shot and the team played well. But I didn't understand a few of the referee's decisions.
"We did a lot of planning for this game and we tried everything even with ten men, but we were always fighting the tide."