Werder keeper rues "horrible" blunder

BERLIN, Mar 8 (Reuters) Werder Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese was inconsolable after his late blunder enabled Juventus to knock the German side out of the Champions League.

''It was horrible,'' Wiese told his club's website. ''I wanted to bury myself in the ground. That's by far the worst sporting moment I've ever experienced.'' Wiese had produced a string of fine saves yesterday until he fumbled a harmless cross with two minutes to go, allowing Brazilian Emerson the easiest of chances to hand Juve a 2-1 win and put them through to the quarter-finals on away goals.

''I was not excited at all, Wiese said. ''I was treating it like any other match and it was going really well.

''I had the feeling I could save everything. It was one of my best games and then that happened.

''That's the kind of mistake you make once in your life.'' Wiese was comforted by his team mates after the match and all offered support.

''He kept us in contention for so long,'' said Werder captain Frank Baumann. ''He had a world class game until that.'' Werder were hoping to reach the last eight of the Champions League for the first time after beating Juventus 3-2 in the first leg.

Coach Thomas Schaaf, whose team were destroyed 10-2 on aggregate by Olympique Lyon at the same stage last season, said Werder had proved a point.

''Last year we were clearly beaten twice by Lyon and this year we had two tight matches against Juventus,'' he said.

''This is bitter for Tim and bitter for everybody but it doesn't change the fact that we are definitely improving.'' Werder, who lie second eight points behind Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga standings, could be back in the Champions League next season but will need time to get over what happened yesterday.

''The players will ask themselves over and over again what they should have done differently,'' said Werder sports director Klaus Allofs.

''Football can be so unfair.'' REUTERS AY RN1653