UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE QUARTER-FINALS Wolfsburg 0 Fulham 1 (Fulham win 3-1 on aggregate): FULHAM HAVE knocked out the German champions to continue their continental odyssey into the semi-finals.
Roy Hodgson’s remarkable team will play a 55th match of the season on Sunday against Liverpool, who might just be meeting them in the May final of this competition.
The German pop presaging the teams’ entrance had barely been dialled down when Fulham had one of the best possible starts.
Twenty-two seconds was all Hodgson’s team required for Bobby Zamora to score an eighth goal of this campaign.
Damien Duff rose for a header in midfield and, though he made no contact, it was enough for the ball to fall to Zoltan Gera. His reverse pass found Zamora spinning away from the inside-right channel, before the left-foot finish was stroked easily beyond Diego Benaglio for surely one of European club football’s quickest goals.
Fulham had matched Wolfsburg’s away strike at Craven Cottage, and gone ahead 3-1 in the tie, yet, but for Mark Schwarzer, Lorenz Kostner’s side might have drawn level before half-time.
Christian Gentner’s long-range shot, after an errant Danny Murphy pass had lost possession, was palmed to safety by the goalkeeper. A corner ensued from which Grafite, Wolfsburg’s Brazilian striker, was worryingly allowed a free header, though this was steered over.
Schwarzer then made a superb save from Andrea Barzagli’s bullet of a volley but parried the ball to Grafite, who this time finished from close range. Fulham, though, were saved by the assistant referee’s flag as the 31-year-old had picked himself up from an offside position to score.
Following Wolfsburg’s flurry after Zamora’s goal their further attempts on the Fulham goal were sporadic. Fulham closed the opening half in control, conscious their hosts now required three unanswered goals to win the tie before extra time.
Late on Zamora had a headed goal ruled out for offside.
Guardian Service
WOLFSBURG: Benaglio, Pekarik (Dejagah 35), Simunek (Rever 76), Barzagli, Schafer, Riether, Josue, Gentner (Martins 61), Misimovic, Grafite, Dzeko. Subs not used: Lenz, Hasebe, Johnson, Schindzielorz. Booked: Dzeko, Dejagah, Josue.
FULHAM: Schwarzer, Baird, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Murphy, Etuhu, Duff, Gera (Nevland 82), Davies (Riise 86), Zamora. Subs not used: Zuberbuhler, Kelly, Smalling, Greening, Dikgacoi. Booked: Baird, Konchesky.
Referee: Viktor Kassai(Hungary).
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