Girondins Bordeaux (1) 1 - Rayo Vallecano (4) 2

Rayo: Lopetegui; Alcázar, De Quintana, Ballesteros, Mingo; Helder, Poschner, Quevedo (Glaucio 60'), Michel (Setvalls 71'); Luis Cembranos, Bolo (Bolic 52'). 4-4-2.

Goals:
0-1. 18. Luis Cembranos (penalty). After Ramé sent off for foul on Bolo.
1-1. 23. Mingo (own goal). Headed past own keeper after Dugarry cross.
1-2. 73. Bolo. Shot across keeper after defender missed clearance.

Rayo Vallecano cruised through to the quarter finals of the UEFA cup with their second victory in a week over Bordeaux. Together with Alavés the Madrid based team are the revelation of the competition, and they made it through their fifth tie since starting in the qualifying round back in early August, having only come in to the tournament as the fair-play candidate who came out of the hat in the draw. Although they had a 4-1 result in the first leg, Juande Ramos was not taking chances, conscious that Zaragoza were eliminated earlier in the competition with the same result. He rested Michel and Quevedo completely at the weekend and used others sparingly so that he could count on a full strength line up for this one, with Mingo returning from injury at left back and Luis Cembranos coming in from the start.

Lopetegui kept out Laslandes and Pauleta early on before Rayo took the lead with a controversial penalty, Scottish referee Stuart Dougal ruling that Bolo had already set foot in the area when keeper Ramé clattered in to him. It was a border line decision which proved to be the turning point of the match, with Luis Cembranos scoring from the spot kick against substitute keeper Roux after Ramé was red-carded. The ten men of Bordeaux came back quickly though, and within five minutes they were level after Mingo headed past his own keeper under pressure after Dugarry lifted the ball across the face of the goal. Both keepers were in the action as the game flowed from end to end, with Roux saving from Bolo and De Quintana and an excellent Lopetegui stopping shots from Smertin either side of half time, and then somehow keeping out Sommeil on the hour mark.

But a slip by ex Valencia defender Alain Roche soon after the break let in Bolo, and the striker took his chance well to beat Roux and put the tie out of Bordeaux's reach. With the French unlikely to score the four goals they needed, Juande rested Bolo and then Quevedo, who had been carrying an injury for some time. Substitute Bolic forced another good save out of Roux and Laslandes hit the bar near the end, but by then most of the French crowd had given up and gone home. There were still some 500 or so fans from Rayo amongst the supporters though, and the ecstatic players ran up to applaud them at the end. Their victory sets up one of two all Spanish quarter finals, with Alavés as their opponents, and at least one of the two minnows is assured of a European semi-final in their first ever appearances in the competition. ¡Aupa Rayo!