Fulham stun Juventus with brilliant comeback...

Fulham have made it through to the Europa League Quarter Finals after completing a stunning comeback against Italian giants Juventus at Craven cottage.

Already 3-1 down from the first leg, Fulham conceded another early goal, but showed incredible resilience to come back and win 4-1 on the night, 5-4 on aggregate.

The tie looked over for The Cottagers when French star David Trezeguet put Juventus 4-1 up on aggregate after just two minutes. But Fulham proved more resilient than many would have expected, equalizing almost immediately through man-of-the-moment star striker Bobby Zamora.

Then came what many would argue was the turning point in the whole tie, with Juventus centre back Fabio Cannavaro sent off for a professional foul on Fulham midfielder Zoltan Gera. The Hungarian then went on to put Fulham in the lead with a neat finish, before leveling the tie overall with a penalty.

Fulham fans may have expected their team to hang on for extra time from there on in, but their night was about to get even better, as a delicate chip from American star Clint Dempsey put Fulham ahead for the first time in the whole tie, and sealing their victory.

Just to make Juventus’ night all the worse, defender Jonathan Zebina was given a straight red card for kicking out at Damien Duff in frustration.

Manager Roy Hodgson was clearly thrilled with his Fulham side, admitting he was “on top of the world” after his team’s magnificent performance. He continued: “I don’t know if it is the biggest night in the club’s history but it must come close. It’s a remarkable achievement that the boys have done so well.”

Clint Dempsey completes a magical night for Fulham with a fantastic chip

(Picture courtesy of The Guardian; Video courtesy of ESPN & YouTube)

Varsity 2010 - Rugby 2s hold onto title for second year in a row!

Varsity is, quite simply, the biggest event of the year for all of the Canterbury Christ Church University sports teams. This year, it has been incredibly tight between Christ Church Sport and their rival, the University of Kent, and the Rugby 2^nds were one of the victorious squads. I caught up with first year winger Joe Purvis to find out how he felt the day after.

So, Joe, how does it feel to be a Varsity winner?

Yeah it feels fantastic, to get one over on UKC, and accomplishing everything I wanted to achieve when I signed up for rugby. It was such a good team effort as well – we stuck together, didn’t let our heads drop, and we thoroughly deserved the win.

The celebrations must have been pretty special afterwards!?

It was great, you could see that it means so much to everyone, and it’s a great feeling knowing that you were a part of it.

Was the feeling afterwards more one of excitement or relief?

It was relief because you don’t want anyone to feel let down by you, but then excitement when you realise what you’ve achieved as a team.

And how has the season gone overall?

Yeah, really well, one or two slip ups at the start of the season, but we’ve bonded as times gone on and now we know what we’re capable of, and I think we’ve got excellent prospects for next season.

What tips would you give to someone thinking about joining up to play rugby next year?

Just to relax and enjoy it, you won’t ever experience much like this, so just enjoy it and make the most of it. Everyone is welcome to come along, and it’s as much about meeting new people and having fun as it is about the rugby. Everyone’s really friendly and does as much as they can to help us settle in and bond as a squad.

Unfortunately you didn’t actually play in the match, but the squad ethic seems great as everyone can enjoy the victory so much. Were you still disappointed you weren’t selected for the match though?

I would have loved to have played and I felt ready and pumped up, but this year wasn’t my year. Hopefully though, I can make the most of the next two years and take my chance when it comes.

Terry Defends Shaky Form

Under-fire Chelsea and England defender John Terry believes he proved a point to his critics in the victory over Egypt at Wembley.

The centre-back recently hit the headlines after allegations of an affair with Vanessa Perroncel, a former girlfriend of Wayne Bridge, and his form has come under the spotlight as a result.

In past weeks, Terry was at fault for both Everton goals in Chelsea's defeat at Goodison Park, and then allowed Inter Milan striker Diego Milito to score inside three minutes in their UEFA Champions League clash at the Giuseppe Meazza.
Chelsea then conceded four goals against Manchester City last weekend, but Terry believes he bounced back to his best in England's 3-1 win on Wednesday.

"It's a couple of bad results," said Terry.

"A couple of bad results sometimes means a bad performance from me, surprisingly.

"I was pleased with my performance against Egypt. It was important to come out and play the way I did."

Meanwhile, Chelsea playmaker Joe Cole believes full-back Branislav Ivanovic should be the club's player of the year, even though Didier Drogba has 25 goals so far this season.

"You look at a lot of full-backs in teams at the moment and they play like wingers," said Cole.

"Just look at Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanovic in our team. They are as good at attacking as most wingers and I admire a good footballer.

"I think Ivanovic for us is fantastic. If I am going to give someone a mention I am going to give it to Ivanovic.

"He is a great player for Chelsea. I think he has been our player of the year to be honest."