Ice cool Malbranque sees Fulham through

Fulham 2

The Cottagers were on track to crash out on away goals when Steve Marlet won a 43rd-minute penalty and man-of-the-match Malbranque stepped up to the spot.

He fired into the bottom right corner only to be ordered to retake the kick due to encroachment and blast into the bottom left corner.

The goal settled a cracking cup tie played with none of the cautious tactics which dogged the first leg in Split a fortnight ago, which Fulham won 1-0.

The small Loftus Road crowd was treated to a great match, which burst into life in the fifth minute when Vlatko Dolonga's free kick took a wicked deflection off Sean Davis and wiped out the Cottagers' advantage.

Marlet levelled after 20 minutes when he pounced on a loose ball but Hrvoje Vejic's header when inexplicably totally unmarked put Split 2-1 up on the night and ahead on away goals on aggregate.

But in the 43rd minute, Vejic went from hero to villain with a rash tackle which Marlet obligingly tumbled over. Malbranque was ice cool from 12 yards out twice

FULHAM: Van der Sar, Brevett, Melville, Knight, Ouaddou, Boa Morte, Malbranque, Legwinski, Davis, Marlet, Sava.

HAJDUK SPLIT: Pletikosa, Vejic, Vukovic, Neretljak, Djolonga, Carevic, Andric, Srna, Miladin, Bule, Deranja.

FK Sartid 0

Ipswich 1

(Ipswich win 2-1 on agg)

IPSWICH manager George Burley hopes the confidence taken from another European away win can help revive a spluttering start to the season.

Marcus Bent's early penalty was enough to beat Sartid, of Yugoslavia, and the Suffolk club have now won four of their five matches away from Portman Road since returning to Europe for the first time in two decades.

''We enjoy being in Europe and we want more,'' said Burley, whose team were provided with a fillip when Slavoljub Kizic shoved Bent in the back in the ninth minute.

That moment of madness ultimately led to a victory which might have reached landslide proportions but for some poor finishing and good goalkeeping from Dragan Zilic in the second half.

Of the penalty award by Spanish referee Luis Medina in front of a vociferous home end, Burley said: ''It was a blatant push, the referee saw it and gave it, he was perfectly correct.

''I said after the first leg it would be evenly balanced here and I was thankful we got the first goal which is always important.

''There's nothing like winning games so we are pleased to have won and come over here and put on a good performance."