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)
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