Manchester: Chelsea stumbled into the semi-finals of the Europa League on Thursday after losing 3-2 at Rubin Kazan following a rousing second-half fightback by the Russian team.
Chelsea held on to win 5-4 on aggregate, becoming the first team to qualify. Protecting a 3-1 cushion from last week's quarterfinal first leg, well-taken goals by Fernando Torres and Victor Moses helped the reigning European champions into a 2-1 lead by the 55th minute in Moscow and left Rubin needing four goals to progress.
Gokdeniz Karadeniz and Bebras Natcho capitalized on weak defending to give the hosts some hope with 15 minutes remaining.
Benfica and Fenerbahce also hold two-goal leads after their first legs against Newcastle and Lazio, respectively. Basel and Tottenham are level at 2-2 ahead of the other late game.
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