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Chelsea reaches Europa League semifinals despite loss

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Fernando Torres (left) scored in the fifth minute for Chelsea.

Fernando Torres (left) scored in the fifth minute for Chelsea.

Chelsea stumbled into the semifinals of the Europa League despite losing to Rubin Kazan on Thursday, while Basel beat Tottenham in a penalty shootout to also reach the last four.

Fenerbahce and Benfica were the other teams to advance in Europe's second-tier competition after holding on for 1-1 draws at Lazio and Newcastle in their quarterfinal second legs.

Chelsea, the reigning European champion, lost 3-2 in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium - the scene of its defeat in the 2008 Champions League final - but progressed 5-4 on aggregate.

Tom Huddlestone and Emmanuel Adebayor failed with their spot kicks as Basel won the shootout 4-1, after a 2-2 draw after 120 minutes took the aggregate score to 4-4.

Basel and Fenerbahce qualified for their first European semifinals. The draw takes place Friday.

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