London, April 13:

Three Spanish teams advanced to the UEFA Cup semi-finals on Thursday, with defending champion Sevilla leading the way. Osasuna and Espanyol also reached the last four, while Werder Bremen claimed the final spot.

Sevilla scored twice in the first eight minutes to hold two-time champion Tottenham to a 2-2 draw and advance 4-3 on aggregate. Steed Malbranque scored an own-goal and former Tottenham forward Frederic Kanoute added the second for Sevilla.

Osasuna beat visiting Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 and advanced 4-0 on aggregate, while Espanyol held host Benfica to a 0-0 draw to advance 3-2. Miroslav Klose scored two goals to help Bremen beat AZ Alkmaar 4-1 and advance by the same score after a 0-0 draw in the Netherlands.

In the first leg of the semi-finals on April 26, Osasuna will host Sevilla and Espanyol will host Bremen. The second legs are scheduled for May 3. Sevilla is trying to become the first team since Real Madrid in 1986 to win consecutive UEFA Cup titles.

Sevilla took the lead in the third minute when Jose Luis Marti’s corner was headed toward net by Christian Poulsen and Malbranque knocked it in his own net while trying to clear. Kanoute then exchanged passes with Alexander Kerz-hakov in the eighth before beating Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson with his left foot.

Tottenham rallied in the second half, getting quick goals from Jermaine Defoe and Aaron Lennon. Defoe deflected in a shot from Robbie Keane in the 65th, and Lennon knocked in a loose ball in the 67th after Keane’s attempt was blocked. Klose ended his 12-game goalless run for Bremen by finishing off a good move in the 36th. He added a second in the 62nd. Tim Borowski had given the German team the lead in the 16th, but Moussa Dembele briefly equalized for AZ. Diego added the final goal for Bremen in the 82nd.

Osasuna, which is in the semi-finals of the competition for the first time, got its lone goal from Juanlu Gomez in the 62nd. The left winger angled his shot in after Leverkusen goalkeeper Rene Adler had pushed out Roberto Soldado’s low shot from the edge of the area. Benfica, needing just a goal to reach the semi-finals for the first time in 24 years, hit the post twice in two minutes during a period of late pressure. But Espanyol, which is undefeated in the competition this season, had little trouble holding the Portuguese team scoreless.