Forlan on fire as Fulham fall short

FULHAM’S capacity to defy the odds finally deserted them in the 116th minute of the 19th and final game of their thrilling Europa League campaign.

With penalties looming, Diego Forlan connected with Sergio Aguero’s cross to ensure that it was Atletico Madrid and not Roy Hodgson’s side that won the inaugural final of European football’s re-constituted second competition.

A campaign that began in Lithuania on July 30 and took in unforgettable victories over Juventus, Shakhtar Donetsk, Wolfsburg and Hamburg reached its agonising conclusion when Fulham’s reserves expired in the final stages of marathon season.

The outcome had hung in the balance from the moment Simon Davies brought the Cottagers back level five minutes after former Manchester United striker Forlan had given Atletico a 32nd minute lead.

Davies’ goal had raised hopes that once again the west London could fashion the kind of fightback that has defined their run in the competition.

This time, however, they couldn’t and despite having almost drowned in the wave of plaudits directed their way in recent months, Hodgson and his players end the 63-game season empty-handed and the club’s 131-year wait for a major trophy goes on.

“I thought we played well and we gave them a good game and it looked as though it was going to penalties,” said the manager. “We were disappointed to concede so close to the end because I thought we looked comfortable.

“It was 63 games and now it’s been 63 and a third. It’s been very tough but I couldn’t be more proud of the players. I’ve been lucky to work with a lot of good groups of players but this is certainly the best squad I have worked with in terms of attitude, desire and commitment. Unfortunately it seems fate was against us.”

At 62, Hodgson knows he will enjoy many more season’s like this and this was a chance to expunge the memory of his defeat in the 1997 UEFA Cup final when he was in charge of Inter Milan.

Not that the manager might ever have imagined he would return to a European final with Fulham. While Inter were making their way to that final, the Cottagers were languishing in the fourth tier having hit a low when they fell second bottom in January 1996 after losing to Torquay.

The situation was less bleak when Hodgson took charge in December 2007 although they looked doomed to drop into the Championship until a final day victory at Portsmouth ensured survival.

Since then, the trend has been exclusively up with Hodgson transforming a limited squad into European finalists by drilling a bunch of intelligent players in sound tactics, organisation and discipline.

Those qualities have stood the Cottagers in good stead throughout this campaign but they were ultimately undone by the quality of Atletico forwards Forlan and Aguero.

The demands of a wearying season looked as though they were catching up on Hodgson’s side early on and it was no surprise when Forlan finally found a way past Schwarzer when he diverted Aguero’s mishit shot into the net – Fulham claimed the forward was offside – in the 32nd minute.

Suddenly it felt like the second leg of the semi-final against Hamburg all over again. Bobby Zamora was clearly hampered by his long standing achilles injury and once again Fulham were chasing the game.

And once again, Hodgson’s team responded manfully to the task that lay before them, drawing level within five minutes after Forlan’s strike.

Zamora created the opening with a deceptive turn on the edge of the Atletico box although the chance appeared to have gone when the forward took one touch too many. Nonetheless, the ball worked it’s way across the area to Zoltan Gera via Damien Duff, and when the Hungarian’s cross was deflected into the path of Davies, the Wales midfielder reacted by drilling a powerful volley past David De Gea.

An extended period of Fulham possession after the break ended with a dangerous cross from Damien Duff that drifted across the face of the Atletico goal before, in the 59th minute, Davies almost claimed his second with a venomous snapshot that produced an excellent De Gea save.

Duff pulled a long range effort wide but, with Zamora now having been replaced by Clint Dempsey, Fulham were unable to hold the ball in forward positions and it was Atletico who saw out the remainder of the 90 minutes in the ascendancy.

Fulham’s weary legs hardly welcomed the additional 30 minutes but it could have been worse had the Italian referee not looked generously on Hangeland’s clumsy challenge on Aguero six yards in front of goal in the final seconds of added time.

Extra time appeared to be a step too far for both sides although Forlan’s pacy burst and cross should have been turned home by Aguero.

Agonisingly for Fulham, the pair combined more effectively later on and when Fulham’s tank had finally run dry.

Subs for Atletico Madrid: Jurado (6) for Simao, 68; Salvio (6) for Reyes, 78; Valera for Aguero, 118.

Subs for Fulham: Dempsey (7) for Zamora, 56; Nevland (6) for Duff, 84; Greening for Murphy, 118.

Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy).