Anderlecht bowed out of the Europa League despite beating Hamburg 4-3 in the second leg of their tie.
German side progress 6-5 on aggregate
Anderlecht bowed out of the Europa League despite beating Hamburg 4-3 in the second leg of their tie.
Hamburg, leading 3-1 from the first leg, looked set to enjoy a comfortable evening in Belgium when Jerome Boateng broke the deadlock after 43 minutes.
But Anderlecht responded with two quick goals before the interval as Matias Suarez added a penalty to Romelu Lukaku's effort moments earlier.
Hamburg's Marcell Jansen equalised on 54 minutes but Anderlecht kept fighting and moved 4-2 ahead thanks to Lucas Biglia and Mbark Boussoufa.
The tie was now in the balance at 5-5 on aggregate, with Hamburg just in the driving seat because of their extra away goal.
And as Anderlecht continued to press forward they were punished at the back, Mladen Petric netting in the 75th minute to seal Hamburg's success in a thrilling contest.
Pressure
Early on the game offered little in terms of clear-cut chances, with Frank Rost untested in the Hamburg goal until the 34th minute when he dealt with Ondrej Mazuch's shot from the right.
Anderlecht were putting Bruno Labbadia's side under little pressure and the match was devoid of creative spark until just before the break.
Hamburg appeared to put the tie beyond doubt when Boateng sent a right-footed shot into the top corner three minutes before the break.
However, the hosts pulled one back two minutes later when Boussoufa's cross from the right was headed home from close range by Lukaku.
Ariel Jacobs' side then rounded off a remarkable spell when Suarez coolly converted a penalty after he was fouled by Boateng.
Breathless
Such a breathless end to the first half was followed by a tentative start to the second period until Hamburg restored their two-goal aggregate lead.
Ruud van Nistelrooy sent in a cross from the right for Marcell Jansen to convert but again the Germans could not hold onto their lead and Anderlecht restored their lead on the night five minutes later when Biglia scored from the centre of the penalty area.
Just seven minutes later and the hosts were back in it, Boussoufa slotting home Lukaku's left-wing cross from the six-yard box to put Anderlecht 4-2 ahead on the night and making it 5-5 on aggregate.
Hamburg were not to be denied though, and nine minutes later Petric restored their lead in the tie and booked a place in the quarter-finals.
