Amsterdam: Tyrone Mears scored in extra time to lead Marseille into the Uefa Cup quarter finals with a 2-2 draw at Ajax, eliminating the four-time European Cup champions from the continent’s second-tier competition 4-3 on aggregate.

Ajax forced extra time at Amsterdam Arena Wednesday when Miralem Sulejmani made it 2-1 in the 74th minute, putting the teams level on aggregate after a 2-1 win for Marseille in the first leg.

Werder Bremen also advanced with a 2-2 draw, beating Saint-Etienne 3-2 on aggregate. Eyong Enoh gave Ajax the lead in the 33rd minute, converting a through ball from Luis Suarez, but Mamadou Niang answered for Marseille two minutes later, scoring off a counterattack.

Suarez then rounded defender Hilton before playing in Sulejmani for Ajax’s second, but Mears decided the two-leg series in extra time.

Ajax finished the match with 10 men after Bruno Silva was red-carded in the last minute of extra time for a foul on substitute Hatem Ben Arfa.

Ajax won three European Cup titles from 1971-73, and added a fourth with the Champions League title in 1995. The team from Amsterdam also won the Uefa Cup in 1992.

“We played a very good game,” Ajax coach Marco van Basten said. “We fully controlled the game and if you play like that in Europe, then you have to be positive. It’s annoying that we lost.”

Sebastian Prodl scored for Bremen with a powerful header from a corner by Torsten Frings in the sixth minute. Peru striker Claudio Pizarro then extended the lead with his fifth European goal of the season, heading a left-wing cross from Mesut Ozil past goalkeeper Jeremie Janot in the 27th.

After a bad clearance from Bremen’s defense, Yohan Benalouane reduced the gap in the 64th with a diving header from close range. Sebastien Grax salvaged a draw for Saint-Etienne with a low, angled shot in injury time, but it wasn't enough for the home team. (AP)