SOCCER EUROPA LEAGUE SEMI-FINALS: Fulham 2 Hamburg 1, Fulham win 2-1 on aggregateFULHAM'S STELLAR season will have the ultimate sprinkling of stardust when Roy Hodgson's team take their proud place in the final on May 12th, thanks to a well-taken Zoltan Gera late winner that sent ecstasy coursing through the delirious home support at the final whistle.
Before kick-off the news that Bobby Zamora had made it on to the team sheet provoked a frisson of surprise as the earlier television pictures of Fulham’s centre-forward undergoing a late fitness test rather gingerly on the pitch.
Zamora’s presence will have pleased the watching Fabio Capello, who may also have been in the crowd to take a view on Paul Konchesky. The left back was pivotal in a move from which Zamora should have scored only three minutes into the game.
Koncheskey rolled the ball into midfield, steamed down his flank, collected a pass from Danny Murphy, and played the ball to Zamora.
With a stab of his foot he found Gera, whose return pass behind the visitors’ defence gave the club’s leading scorer the ball inside the area. With a smooth swivel he deceived a Hamburg defender, before hitting a right-foot shot straight at Frank Rost instead of into the back of his net.
For the first 20 minutes it seemed Hamburg had taken up where they had left off last week, when they were unable to transform an excess of first-half possession into goals.
Still, to be continually hemmed in while trying not to concede the away goal is hardly the ideal scenario. And in the 22nd minute Fulham crumpled. First Damien Duff gave away the ball in midfield, then Murphy conceded a free-kick as he attempted to correct his colleague’s error.
A more critical mistake ensued. When Mladen Petric stepped up to address the ball he was 30 yards out. But from his sweet strike Mark Schwarzer scrambled to his right before failing to make the save.
Hamburg took the lead but the Australian must surely be disappointed by his positioning.
Insult, of course, often follows injury and it was present here from Hamburg’s fans whose taunts at their opposite number now came laced with humour, while being delivered in English, particularly that old German classic: “Football’s coming home.”
Hodgson, though, and his players could find scant levity as they walked off for the break. They were up against it, and knew it.
Fulham emerged for the second half conscious that, as there could now be no extra-time, they had only 45 minutes to avert the heartbreak of elimination so close to next month’s final. Zamora was still on the field, though, as he had also begun the second half last week in Germany before being forced from the game, it was unclear how long he would last.
The answer was 12 minutes before Clint Dempsey replaced him. And, as the hour passed, Fulham had created far too little, having again to spend long passages of play defending their goal rather than in their opponents’ half hoping to score the first of the two they needed.
There were, though, signs that Hamburg were becoming intimidated by the occasion. Duff had a shot that dribbled wide, then a Gera run had the close attention of four red shirts inside the area. And when Fulham finally struck for the equaliser it had a touch of class. Murphy found Simon Davies’ clever run and the midfielder’s turn and dinked finish was superb.
GuardianService
FULHAM: Schwarzer, Pantsil (Nevland, 74), Hangeland, Hughes, Konchesky, Davies, Murphy, Etuhu, Duff, Gera, Zamora (Dempsey, 57). Subs not used: Zuberbuhler, Riise, Smalling, Greening, Dikgacoi. Booked: Hangeland 65, Dempsey 90.
HAMBURG: Rost, Aogo, Mathijsen, Boateng, Demel, Pitroipa, Ze Roberto, Jarolim (Rozehnal, 90), Tesche (Rincon, 55) (Guerrero79), Petric, van Nistelrooy. Subs not used: Hesl, Berg, Arslan, Schulz. Booked: Boateng 62, Rost 90.
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey)
