Friday Fulham Stuff (09/04/10)

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Zamora sends Fulham to semis
Bobby Zamora bolstered his hopes of an England 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ call when he fired Fulham into the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday.

Zamora scored after just 19 seconds to give the English Premier League side a 1-0 win over German champions Wolfsburg, and a last-four clash with another German side Hamburg, claiming the tie 3-1 on aggregate.

Hamburg, who will also host the final, saw off Standard Liege in their quarter-final.


We're strong defensively and I was quite confident we would stop them scoring three.Fulham manager Roy Hodgson


Zamora's goal was out of the top drawer when he neatly turned inside Jan Simunek to find the target with a sweet left-foot drive. In the second half, Wolfsburg's Brazilian striker Grafite had a shot blocked on the line.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson was delighted by Zamora's goal, the striker's 19th of the season. "You get your goals when you get them and Bob did ever so well, his combination with (Zoltan) Gera was magnificent and meant they had to get three to win the tie," Hodgson said. "We're strong defensively and I was quite confident we would stop them scoring three.

"It's nice to make history and I'm so delighted for the players. They were gutted by the goal we conceded in the last minute of the first leg at Craven Cottage and it's fantastic they've come here and kept a clean sheet."

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Fearless Fulham continue Euro quest

Fulham turned in another heroic Europa League display to win 1-0 at Wolfsburg on Thursday and book a semi-final date against Hamburg.

Bobby Zamora's 19th goal of the season after just 21 seconds at the Volkswagen Arena secured a 3-1 aggregate success after a disciplined performance from Roy Hodgson's side.

The German champions rarely threatened the Cottagers, who will now face Hamburg for a place in the final.

Zamora was a constant threat and his performance was even more impressive given that he had been a doubt before the game with an Achilles injury.

Chris Baird was preferred to fit-again Stephen Kelly at right-back while Wolfsburg defender Jan Simunek replaced the injured Alexander Madlung, who scored a late away goal for the Bundesliga champions in last week's first leg.

Zamora's return was a welcome boost for Fulham, who had beaten the likes of Juventus and Shakhtar Donetsk to reach the last eight of the competition.

Hodgson had stressed the need to pressure Wolfsburg early on and his side duly obliged by taking the lead after just 21 seconds.

Zoltan Gera laid the ball off to Zamora, who performed a clever turn to shrug off Simunek on the edge of the box and beat Diego Benaglio with a calm finish.

The early goal seemed to settle any nerves and Fulham could have had a second six minutes later but Gera was denied by a fantastic save from Benaglio.

A rare error from captain Danny Murphy allowed Christian Gentner in at the other end but his shot was tipped around the post by Mark Schwarzer.

Wolfsburg struggled to get a grip on proceedings in an up-tempo game but thought they had equalised in the 12th minute before Grafite's effort was ruled out for offside from Andrea Barzagli's cross.

Gentner's inswinging corner then left Schwarzer flapping but otherwise Fulham looked in control of the tie, with Murphy and Dickson Etuhu firmly winning the battle in

midfield.

Zamora's strike meant the Germans would have to score twice to force extra time and the home crowd began to vent their frustration at a lack of creativity.

Highly-rated Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko, who has been linked with a move to Chelsea, reminded Fulham of the threat he posed by flicking on a dangerous Zvjezdan Misimovic corner across the box in the 29th minute.

Dzeko found himself in the book soon after for kicking the ball away after referee Viktor Kassai had blown up for a petulant push on Brede Hangeland.

Wolfsburg manager Lorenz Gunther Kostner replaced defender Peter Pekarik with Ashkan Dejagah and the striker almost made an immediate impact but his dangerous low cross was cut out by Aaron Hughes.

The game came to a brief standstill soon after half time when Davies had to receive treatment after clashing with Wolfsburg captain Josue while going up for a header.

Fulham went close to sealing the win just before the hour when Murphy's clever chip played Zamora through.

The Fulham fans held their breath but the striker's first touch let him down and Benaglio came out to stifle his tame shot.

Dejagah was then booked for dissent before Kostner threw on former Newcastle man Obafemi Martins, leaving Wolfsburg with four strikers on the pitch.

Some of the home supporters began to leave with 20 minutes left as Wolfsburg continued to waste possession.

Murphy shot over after turning two defenders while Zamora and Gera continued to pose a threat.

Dzeko then reminded the remaining crowd why he is such a highly-rated player when he forced Schwarzer into a brilliant one-handed save with a volley from the edge of the box.

Simon Davies then beat the offside trap but saw his shot turned over by Benaglio's outstretched leg.

The visiting fans, sensing victory, chanted "Zamora for England" before the striker had a headed goal ruled out for offside with 15 minutes left.

Fulham had a golden chance to seal the win with 10 minutes left but Murphy's shot was cleared off the line by Barzagli.

Hangeland then scrambled back to clear Grafite's shot off the line after he reacted quickest to Dzeko's shot that had rebounded off a post.

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Vfl Wolfsburg 0-1 Fulham (Agg 1-3 ):
Cottagers Continue To Surprise As They Advance Into Last Four
Zamora strike put Fulham into last four of Europa League...

Fulham striker Bobby Zamora created a bit of history, as his early strike put the Craven Cottage side in their first ever European semi-final as they easily swept aside the German champions Wolfsburg in the last eight of the Europa League.

The visitors made the greatest start possible, when in just 21 seconds Zamora found himself just inside the box with no defenders willing to make a tackle after the visitors played the ball forward, with Zoltan Gera finding Zamora in space. The England hopeful then coolly slotted home to give Fulham the away goal that boss Roy Hodgson would have been desperate for after the late goal they lost last week to the German champions.

The English side continued to look lively at the start of the game and were unlucky not to go two up, when a cross from the right hand side by Damien Duff was headed towards the Wolfsburg goal by Gera. But he was left to rue his luck, by seeing his shot saved by Diego Benaglio in the Germans goal.
The home side had their first real chance when Christan Gentner made Mark Schwarzer push the ball round the post after a mistake from Danny Murphy led to chance for the home side to get back into the tie.

Woflsburg were to be even more unfortunate, minutes later when Grafite had the ball in the back of the Fulham net after a shot from Andrea Barzagli was palmed out by Schwarzer to the feet of the striker, but Fulham were happy enough to see the linesman rise his flag and give the Brazilian offside.

That did not deter the Craven Cottage side, who continued to press forward and exploit the spaces in the Wolfsburg back four, with Murphy coming close and also Zamora troubling the defence at every opportunity.

The German champions, realising that they needed to score in order to get back into the tie and have a chance of remaining in Europa League, kept trying to cross into the Fulham box, but continued to find both Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes, who were able to sweep clear at every opportunity.

With just over half an hour on the clock, Wolfsburg once again found their way through the Fulham defence and were unlucky not to score when Grafite, once again was caught in an offside position after a pass between the visitors defence had not been dealt with by either Hangeland or Hughes.

Knowing they needed a goal desperately, Wolfsburg decided to sacrifice a defender in favour of an attacker, when their coach Lorenz-Günther Köstner took off Peter Pekarik and replaced him with the forward thinking Ashkan Dejagah.

Both sides continued to press, but could not find the same amount of accuracy as they did, previously in the first. With each side shooting from long range and not being able to test either goalkeeper as their chances ended up going well wide.

In the closing moments of the half, Wolfsburg continued to press, with Chris Baird cutting out a pass that was intended for Grafite, who was waiting to tap in from close range and the Brazilian was also in the thick of it, as he and his strike partner Dzeko both got in each other's way, when another ball was pumped into the middle of the Fulham box. This allowed the visitors to see out the half with the vital away goal they had achieved.     

The second half started in the same vain as the first, with both sides passing well in the midfield areas, without actually breaking through and creating a proper chance on goal.

When they finally found a way towards the Fulham goal, Wolfsburg striker Dzeko found the route towards Schwarzer's goal blocked back Hughes. The ball than arrived at the feet of Marcel Schafer at the edge of the area, but his powerful strike was deflected wide for a corner to the German side.
Dzeko one again found himself at the centre of things, when a through ball down the middle of the Fulham back line was met by the Bosnian striker, but he could not stretch enough to trouble the Fulham goal.

Fulham then sprung into action and a long ball down the middle found Zamora, who was met by Benaglio. The Swiss keeper done well to make sure that the striker did not put the visitors into an unassailable lead.

Wolfsburg continued to show their intent as they went forward at every opportunity, with Dzeko being the main player, but his cross in front of the Fulham goal was not latched on to by any of the players pushing forward for the Germans.

The attacking ways of the home side was shown once again, as Gentner was taken off, to be replaced with by former Newcastle United striker Obafemi Martins, as the home side looked for the two goals that would take the tie into extra time.

Fulham continued to go forward, not looking to sit back on their lead, with Zamora troubling the home defence every time he got a hold of the ball, as he looked to prove that he is good enough to play at international level.

The game then swung down the other end, as Dzeko was Wolfsburg's main outlet again, as he volleyed a corner with his right foot, only to see Schwarzer claw it wide and maintain Fulham's lead on the night.

As the game had done so much, once again the ball was at the other end in a matter of minutes, with Simon Davies coming extremely close as he latched on to a ball form Zamora. But the Welsh midfielder could only look on in agony, as Benaglio managed to divert the shot over with his right leg.

They continued to go forward after this, as Fulham looked to finish off the tie as a contest. They pushed forward and were unlucky not to finish off the game as Zamora was caught offside after a cleaver chip from Murphy found the striker inside the box.

Murphy was the next Fulham player to have a shot on goal, but he also could only look on in vain as his chance was cleared off the line, then the rebound from the visitors captain was deflected wide for a corner kick.

Then out of nowhere, Wolfsburg stormed forward, with Dzeko smacking the ball off the Fulham post and then the rebound arrived at Grafite feet. The Brazilian drilled the ball towards the net, only to see Hangeland smash the ball away to keep the visitors clean sheet intact.

Fulham continued to keep the ball, with Hodgson bringing on the freshness of players like Nevland and Riise, who helped the English Premier League side see out the game and move forward into the last four of the Europa League.

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Winning run continues for Fulham

Wolfsburg 0 Fulham 1 (Fulham win 3-1 on aggregate)

Fulham's extraordinary season took another twist as they secured their place in the semi-finals of the Europa League with a 1-0 win over Wolfsburg in Germany.

Bobby Zamora's 19th goal of the season after just 21 seconds secured a 3-1 aggregate success after a disciplined performance from Roy Hodgson's side.

The German champions rarely threatened the Cottagers, who will now face Hamburg for a place in the final.

Zamora was a constant threat and his performance was even more impressive given that he had been a doubt before the game with an Achilles injury.

Chris Baird was preferred to fit-again Stephen Kelly at right-back while Wolfsburg defender Jan Simunek replaced the injured Alexander Madlung, who scored a late away goal for the Bundesliga champions in last week's first leg.

Zamora's return was a welcome boost for Fulham, who had beaten the likes of Juventus and Shakhtar Donetsk to reach the last eight of the competition.

Hodgson had stressed the need to pressure Wolfsburg early on and his side duly obliged by taking the lead after just 21 seconds.

Zoltan Gera laid the ball off to Zamora, who performed a clever turn to shrug off Simunek on the edge of the box and beat Diego Benaglio with a calm finish.

The early goal seemed to settle any nerves and Fulham could have had a second six minutes later but Gera was denied by a fantastic save from Benaglio.

A rare error from captain Danny Murphy allowed Christian Gentner in at the other end but his shot was tipped around the post by Mark Schwarzer.

Wolfsburg struggled to get a grip on proceedings in an up-tempo game but thought they had equalised in the 12th minute before Grafite's effort was ruled out for offside from Andrea Barzagli's cross.

Gentner's inswinging corner then left Schwarzer flapping but otherwise Fulham looked in control of the tie, with Murphy and Dickson Etuhu firmly winning the battle in midfield.

Zamora's strike meant the Germans would have to score twice to force extra time and the home crowd began to vent their frustration at a lack of creativity.

Dzeko found himself in the book soon after for kicking the ball away after referee Viktor Kassai had blown up for a petulant push on Brede Hangeland.

Wolfsburg manager Lorenz Gunther Kostner replaced defender Peter Pekarik with Ashkan Dejagah and the striker almost made an immediate impact but his dangerous low cross was cut out by Aaron Hughes.

The game came to a brief standstill soon after half time when Davies had to receive treatment after clashing with Wolfsburg captain Josue while going up for a header.

Fulham went close to sealing the win just before the hour when Murphy's clever chip played Zamora through.

The Fulham fans held their breath but the striker's first touch let him down and Benaglio came out to stifle his tame shot.

Dejagah was then booked for dissent before Kostner threw on former Newcastle man Obafemi Martins, leaving Wolfsburg with four strikers on the pitch.

Some of the home supporters began to leave with 20 minutes left as Wolfsburg continued to waste possession.

Murphy shot over after turning two defenders while Zamora and Gera continued to pose a threat.

Dzeko then reminded the remaining crowd why he is such a highly-rated player when he forced Schwarzer into a brilliant one-handed save with a volley from the edge of the box.

Simon Davies then beat the offside trap but saw his shot turned over by Benaglio's outstretched leg.

The visiting fans, sensing victory, chanted "Zamora for England" before the striker had a headed goal ruled out for offside with 15 minutes left.

Fulham had a golden chance to seal the win with 10 minutes left but Murphy's shot was cleared off the line by Barzagli.

Hangeland

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21 Seconds
by lydia on April 8, 2010

Extrordinary. Simply Amazing. It took 21 seconds for Bobby Zamora to score the winner tonight in Germany and it was an outstanding goal at that. Gera picked up the ball and passed it sweetly to Zamora who completely turned the centre back and calmly shot under the keeper. It was without a doubt the best start any Fulham fan could have imagined and it was only to get better. The one down side of scoring that early was how long we had to hang on. 89 mins 39seconds to hang out actually. But as Murphy very acccurately said after the game, we never really were hanging on as we looked the better team throughout the match. Fulham did something that people, especially Wolfsburg, did not expect. They attacked every time thet had the ball! Some of the passing was beautiful to watch and it could have been 3-0 at the end.

In all fairness to Wolfsburg, they to had their chances and even had the ball in ther back of the net but for the offside rule. They also came very close at the end when Dzeko hit the post and Hangeland did well to prevent the follow up.

Well done boys! And bring on Hamburg in the next round!

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Wolfsburg 0 Fulham 1
by Footymad

Match report for the away win in the evening clash with Wolfsburg

Fulham's Europa League adventure will go on after they collected a fascinating 1-0 win at Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg on Thursday night, securing a 3-1 aggregate success to progress into the semi-finals.

Bobby Zamora's fantastic scoring form in the competition continued as he handed the Cottagers a dream start in Germany with his sixth goal in his last seven games on the continent.

As Zoltan Gera fed the ball into his feet, he turned beautifully before sliding a left-footed effort beyond Diego Benaglio in the Wolfsburg goal inside 30 seconds at the start of the contest and it was mirror image of his goal in the first leg last week.

Fulham probed and pushed further forward in the opening exchanges and, with Damien Duff, Gera and Danny Murphy combining across the fringes of the final third, they continued to impress.

At the other end, Grafite had a goal correctly disallowed as he stabbed home following a fine stop from Mark Schwarzer on 12 minutes as the Wolves threatened.

Roy Hodgson's men refused to take their foot off the accelerator and they came close to grabbing a crucial second away goal when Gera's header was tipped wide by Benaglio.

As the first-half progressed, the hosts gradually clawed their way back into the game without creating any clear-cut chances.

Edin Dzeko was fortunate to stay on the pitch as he kicked the ball in the direction of the assistant referee as he flagged his push on defender Brede Hangeland.

Soon after Wolfsburg coach Lorenz-Gunther Kostner replaced defender Peter Pekarik with striker
Ashkan Dejagah as they frantically sought a way back into the game.

A little less than two minutes into the second-half, Chris Baird picked up a caution for time wasting at a throw in as the referee made his way into the clash.

Wolfsburg continued to battle but, as their men poured forward, Fulham looked more than capable of adding to their comfortable lead.

Zamora found himself one-on-one with Benaglio but his heavy touch allowed the stopper to make the save.

The England World Cup hope then turned provider as his magnificent clipped pass found Simon Davies in acres of space in the penalty area but the Welshman's downward strike was turned over by the busy keeper.

Murphy was the next to spurn a golden opportunity as Andrea Barzagli cleared off the line before Wolfsburg had their big chance to get back into the game.

Dzeko's broke free and his effort struck a post before falling kindly to Grafite but his effort was cleared off the line by Hangeland, who marshalled the back-four superbly throughout the evening.

With time running out, Fulham maintained their thrusting forward drives as they secured another majestic European win, securing a deserved victory over their illustrious German opponents.

They will now face another German outfit in Hamburg in the semi-finals after Bruno Labbadia's side saw off Standard Liege 3-1 in Belgium to record a 5-2 aggregate win.

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Fulham's Europa dream continues with Wolfsburg win
Fulham produced a superb second-leg display to beat German champions Wolfsburg 1-0 and seal their place in the Europa League semi-finals.

The Cottagers took 22 seconds to make amends for Wolfsburg's late goal in the first leg as Bobby Zamora neatly turned Jan Simunek and slotted his side ahead.

The Germans had a goal disallowed but overall the Londoners defence held firm and Danny Murphy could have doubled the lead.

In the second half, the home side pressed but Fulham held firm for a famous victory.

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Fulham through to the Europa League semi-finals

Wolfsburg 0-1 Fulham (Fukham win 3-1 on aggregate)

BOBBY Zamora fired Fulham to a historic win in Wolfsburg to seal their spot in the Europa League semi-finals.

The former West Ham frontman gave the visitors a dream start inside 21 seconds to bag the only goal of the game in Germany.

Chris Baird's long ball forward was flicked on by Damien Duff to Zoltan Gera. The Hungarian slipped the ball through to Zamora, who turned his marker before slotting the ball in the bottom corner to put the visitors 3-1 up on aggregate.

However, the hosts thought they had equalised on the night when Libano Batista Grafite turned the ball in from close-range after Mark Schwarzer had saved Andrea Barzagli's shot, only to be denied by the linesman's flag.

Wolfburg improved after the interval, but Zamora and Simon Davies had chances to wrap up the tie for Fulham but Diego Benaglio came to Wolfsburg's rescue.

It was Fulham's turn to have a goal chalked off for offside when Zamora's header was ruled out, while Danny Murphy had a goal-bound effort blocked on the line.

Roy Hodgson's side had a let off late on when they were saved by the post and then Brede Hangeland from Grafite's effort, but they held on for a historic win.

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Hodgson delight as Fulham make history

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson was delighted to make history after leading Fulham to the first European semi-final in the club's history.

Bobby Zamora scored after just 21 seconds to give the Cottagers a 1-0 win over Wolfsburg and a 3-1 aggregate success. Fulham will now face Hamburg for a place in the final and will be confident of progressing after an impressive display in Germany. "I'm delighted with the performance, it's very strong to come here and win 1-0 in a game we had control over for long periods," Hodgson said. "With a bit more energy we could have increased the score because we had so many chances towards the end, but 1-0 is always a good score."

Asked about Zamora's early goal, Hodgson added on ITV4: "You get your goals when you get them and Bob did ever so well, his combination with (Zoltan) Gera was magnificent and meant they had to get three to win the tie.


It was that quick and early that I had nothing to think about. It was just hit the target and I managed to score.Fulham's Bobby Zamora


"We're strong defensively and I was quite confident we would stop them scoring three," he went on. "It's nice to make history and I'm so delighted for the players. They were gutted by the goal we conceded in the last minute of the first leg at Craven Cottage and it's fantastic they've come here and kept a clean sheet today."

Fulham captain Danny Murphy added: "I thought we were quite comfortable. The early goal was nice and settled us a bit. I thought they had the odd spell but over the 90 minutes we had the better chances and should have killed them off."

Asked to rate the standard of tonight's performance, Murphy added: "We've played some good teams along the way and performed consistently well throughout, and the Juventus game will live long in the memory, but that was a very good, mature performance in the big scheme of things. We don't have much experience in Europe but it looked like we did tonight."

Zamora, whose 19th goal of the season came after a clever turn to shrug off Jan Simunek on the edge of the box and a neat finish, said: "It was that quick and early that I had nothing to think about. It was just hit the target and I managed to score."

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.Cottagers boss salutes history-makers
Roy Hodgson was delighted to break new ground at Fulham after leading the Cottagers to the first European semi-final in the club's history.

Bobby Zamora scored after just 21 seconds on Thursday night to give the Cottagers a 1-0 Europa League quarter-final second-leg win at Wolfsburg and a 3-1 aggregate success.

Fulham will now face Hamburg for a place in the final and will be optimistic of progressing after an impressive display in Germany.

"I'm delighted with the performance, it's very strong to come here and win 1-0 in a game we had control over for long periods," Hodgson said.

"With a bit more energy we could have increased the score because we had so many chances towards the end, but 1-0 is always a good score."

Asked about Zamora's early goal, Hodgson added on ITV4: "You get your goals when you get them and Bob did ever so well, his combination with (Zoltan) Gera was magnificent and meant they had to get three to win the tie.

"We're strong defensively and I was quite confident we would stop them scoring three.

"It's nice to make history and I'm so delighted for the players. They were gutted by the goal we conceded in the last minute of the first leg at Craven Cottage and it's fantastic they've come here and kept a clean sheet today."

Fulham captain Danny Murphy added: "I thought we were quite comfortable.

"The early goal was nice and settled us a bit. I thought they had the odd spell but over the 90 minutes we had the better chances and should have killed them off."

Asked to rate the standard of Thursday night's performance, Murphy added: "We've played some good teams along the way and performed consistently well throughout, and the Juventus game will live long in the memory, but that was a very good, mature performance in the big scheme of things.

"We don't have much experience in Europe but it looked like we did tonight."

Zamora, whose 19th goal of the season came after a clever turn to shrug off Jan Simunek on the edge of the box and a neat finish, said: "It was that quick and early that I had nothing to think about.

"It was just hit the target and I managed to score."

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Hamburg's Petric sets the Standard
Hamburg booked their place in the Europa League's last four after a wonderful double from Mladen Petric sunk Standard Liege 3-1 on Thursday.

Leading 2-1 from the quarter-final first leg, the Bundesliga side extended their advantage when Petric opened the scoring with a fine header at Stade Maurice Dufrasne.

Igor De Camargo levelled matters on the night for the Belgians but Petric added a second for Bruno Labbadia's side with a fantastic overhead kick in the 35th minute.

Paolo Guerrero - who was banned for five Bundesliga games by the German Football Association earlier on Thursday for throwing a bottle at a fan at the end of his side's 0-0 draw with Hannover last Sunday - rounded off the scoring in injury time. The German side will now meet Fulham in the semi-finals.

Standard made a purposeful start as they looked to overturn their first-leg deficit and Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez's powerful shot forced an early save from Hamburg keeper Frank Rost.

De Camargo failed to find the target with a chance but the visitors then stunned the crowd by taking a 19th-minute lead.

Ze Roberto produced a wonderfully-flighted ball into the box and Petric was on hand to head the ball beyond Sinan Bolat.

That left Standard needing to score at least twice on the night if they were to have any hope of reaching the last four and they came close to an equaliser when Dieudonne Mbokani's header was saved by Rost. But the leveller did arrive in the 32nd minute as De Camargo nodded in Sebastien Pocognoli' cross from close range.

But Hamburg hit back three minutes later to effectively settle the tie.

And it was Petric who struck again with a magnificent overhead kick.

There appeared to little danger as Dennis Aogo crossed from the left wing, but the Croatian's acrobatic effort left Bolat with absolutely no chance.

That goal sucked the life out of the home side and they offered little in the run-up to the half-time interval.

And there was scarcely any improvement in the minutes immediately after the break as Jerome Boateng's drilled effort forced Bolat to parry the ball away to safety.

Axel Witsel responded with an effort of his own at the other end, but dragged his shot wide.

But the hosts did finally produce a period of pressure and Mbokani forced Rost to make a sharp save after the forward had been picked out by Benjamin Nicaise's free-kick.

Hamburg were happy to sit back and invite the home side on to them, and they were coping relatively comfortably with what was thrown at them with Holland international Joris Mathijsen particularly impressive at the back.

De Camargo and Wilfried Dalmat tried optimistic efforts from distance for Liege but both flew wide as the tie petered out during the final quarter.

But substitute Guerrero compounded Liege's misery as he coolly slotted home a third in injury time.

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Zamora keeps Wolfsburg at bay
Fulham's extraordinary season took another twist as they secured their place in the semi-finals of the Europa League with a 1-0 win over Wolfsburg in Germany.

Bobby Zamora's 19th goal of the season after just 21 seconds secured a 3-1 aggregate win after a disciplined performance from Roy Hodgson's side.

The German champions rarely threatened the Cottagers, who will now face Hamburg for a place in the final.

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Europa League - Fulham deservedly in Europa last four

A goal after 20 seconds saw Fulham move into the semi-finals of the Europa League with a 1-0 win at German champions Wolfsburg to triumph 3-1 on aggregate.


Bobby Zamora grabbed the only goal of the second leg, turning sharply before producing a clinical finish following Zoltan Gera's well-disguised pass.

The result was no more than Fulham deserved as they nullified the threat posed by the much-vaunted Wolfsburg front two of Edin Dzeko and Grafite.

Simon Davies passed up a glorious chance in the second half to make the scoreline even more emphatic, but it did not matter - Fulham will meet Ruud van Nistelrooy's Hamburg in the last four.

Zamora had been a big doubt for the game with an Achilles injury, and although manager Roy Hodgson had insisted his side would be able to cope without their talisman, he gave a perfect demonstration of his importance to Fulham almost straight from the kick-off.

Gera picked up the ball on the edge of the area and shaped to shoot but instead slipped a neat pass through for Zamora, who turned away from his man before sidefooting coolly past Diego Benaglio.

With Wolfsburg reeling, Gera himself almost doubled Fulham's lead, climbing high above Peter Pekarik to power a header goalwards that Benaglio managed to tip round the post.

Dickson Etuhu glanced a header wide from the resulting corner as the Wolfsburg defence appeared dormant.

The visitors then almost shot themselves in the foot as Danny Murphy surrendered possession on the edge of his own area, allowing Christian Gentner to rifle a shot goalwards that required a smart save from keeper Mark Schwarzer.

While Wolfsburg managed to sort out their defensive woes as the first half progressed, they looked toothless in attack - although the introduction of Ashkan Dejagah in place of Pekarik at right-back did at least force Paul Konchesky on to the back foot at times.

Wolfsburg playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic finally sprang into life on the hour mark with a fine through-ball for Dzeko to chase, though the big Bosnian's cross eluded Grafite in the centre.

Dzeko then forced Schwarzer into an acrobatic save with a sweetly-struck volley from a corner, though within minutes a glorious cross from Zamora sent Davies clean through on goal, and only a superb reaction save from Benaglio denied the Welshman.

As the final whistle approached, so Wolfsburg's heads began to drop, with Fulham cutting through their opponents with increasing ease. Danny Murphy was next to hold his head in his hands as his shot was cleared off the line by Andrea Barzagli after being played in by a fine Konchesky cross.

Dzeko had one final chance to salvage some pride for the home side, striking the post with a shot on the turn, while Grafite's follow-up was cleared by Brede Hangeland, ensuring Fulham took away the win their performance merited.

[WhiteJC]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=768088&sec=uefaeuropaleague&cc=5739
Hodgson hails history makers, backs Zamora

Roy Hodgson admits Bobby Zamora can do no more to prove to Fabio Capello he deserves a place in England's World Cup squad after the striker fired Fulham into the semi-finals of the Europa League.

The former Spurs hitman scored his 19th goal of the season just 19 seconds into tonight's quarter-final second leg to seal a 3-1 aggregate win for the Londoners.

Zamora has yet to earn an England cap, but his beautifully taken winner will only increase calls for the Italian to give the striker a chance before Capello chooses his squad for South Africa.

Zamora was a constant thorn in the side of the German champions, outshining his opposite number Edin Dzeko, who is rumoured to be the subject of big-money interest from Chelsea and Manchester City.

Hodgson said: "I read that the price for Edin Dzeko was 40 million euros, so we might have to up our price for Bobby Zamora. But we don't want to sell him. Bobby Zamora is a very good player. This year, by adding goals to his excellent build up play, he's come to everyone's attention and he can do no more than continue to play well.

"Then, I'm sure when Fabio Capello is looking at the players available to take to the World Cup, he will make his assessment. I know Fabio is aware of Bobby as a player, but Bobby can't do any more himself.''

Zamora picked up Zoltan Gera's pass and performed a delicate turn on the edge of the box before scoring with a coolly-taken finish. His performance was even more impressive given that he was a doubt before kick off with an Achilles injury.

"The medical staff were always confident Bobby's Achilles wouldn't be a problem and, as you saw, it wasn't,'' said Hodgson. "It was excellent combination play throughout the midfield for the goal and he was very cool and calm in taking the chance.''

Fulham have accounted for Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus and Basle on their way to the last four and they never looked like surrendering their two-goal advantage from the first leg. The Cottagers and Liverpool are the only English teams to remain in Europe after Manchester United and Arsenal crashed out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage this week.

Hodgson admits flying the flag for the Premier League in Europe makes him even more proud of the victory.

"We're very proud to be in a semi-final as Fulham and, most importantly of all, we are proud for Fulham, our owner and our supporters,'' Hodgson said. "It's an extra bonus that, with our best teams this year not being able to reach a semi-final of the Champions League, it's a very nice feeling for ourselves and Liverpool to be in semi-finals.

"We'll face a very arduous task if we want to get to the final but the main thing is we're in the semi-final and we have that chance.''

Wolfsburg coach Lorenz-Gunther Kostner acknowledged his side were second best throughout and he believes Fulham can reach the final in Hamburg on May 12.

He said: "We didn't have the team with enough bite and the right attitude tonight. We made mistakes and we made the wrong substitutions. I'm sorry, the players are sorry.

"They are a very good team with a very good defence and I'd always warned it was not going to be an easy game. If Fulham play in a very compact way like they did tonight then they have a very good chance of making the final.''

[WhiteJC]

http://hammyend.com/?p=6814
Murphy: 'We were comfortable'
by Dan on April 8, 2010

Fulham captain Danny Murphy praised his side for a mature performance and claimed his team were 'comfortable' for large spells of their terrific victory over Wolfsburg this evening.

The Whites reached their first European semi-final with a fine 3-1 aggregate win and Murphy believes that Bobby Zamora's early goal helped settle his side.

I thought we were quite comfortable. The early goal was nice and settled us a bit. I thought they had the odd spell but over the 90 minutes we had the better chances and should have killed them off.

We've played some good teams along the way and performed consistently well throughout, and the Juventus game will live long in the memory, but that was a very good, mature performance in the big scheme of things. We don't have much experience in Europe but it looked like we did tonight.

Zamora says he didn't really think about anything other than hitting the target when that early chance came his way.

It was that quick and early that I had nothing to think about. It was just hit the target and I managed to score.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/apr/08/wolfsburg-fulham-europa-league
Fulham oust Wolfsburg after Bobby Zamora gets them off to a flier


Fulham knocked out the German champions to continue their unprecedented continental odyssey into the Europa League 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.

Yet again Fulham's triumph came courtesy of the dazzling Bobby Zamora, who placed the tie beyond Wolfsburg 22 seconds after kick-off. Another German team, Hamburg, whose ground will host the final, will be their semi-final opponents, with the first leg played in a fortnight's time.

"Bobby played extremely well," said Hodgson, before offering a gentle quip regarding Zamora's potentially soaring value. "If the price for [the Wolfsburg striker] Edin Dzeko is £40m, then we might want something more for him. But we don't want to sell."

Hodgson was asked the now inevitable question regarding what more Zamora must do to gain England recognition from Fabio Capello. The manager said: "I think he is getting recognition. Everyone has now realised, as I and the coaching staff did last year, that Bobby is a very good player."

Zamora said: "I haven't even thought about it. There are seven games to go between now and the end of the season. England, the World Cup are a world away as far as I'm concerned."

His eighth goal of this European campaign and 19th overall this term arrived from Zoltan Gera's reverse pass that found him spinning away from the inside right channel before he stroked his finish beyond Diego Benaglio for surely one of European club football's quickest goals.

Fulham had matched Wolfsburg's away goal at Craven Cottage as well as putting them ahead 3-1 in the tie yet, but for Mark Schwarzer, Lorenz Kostner's side might have pulled level before half-time.

Christian Gentner's long-range blast, after Danny Murphy had lost possession, was palmed away by the keeper. A corner ensued from which Grafite, Wolfsburg's Brazilian striker, was worryingly allowed a free header which flew over the bar.

Minutes later Schwarzer made a superb save from Andrea Barzagli's bullet of a volley but the parry fell 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.

Fulham, perhaps to their surprise, were being yielded time and space to operate in when they had possession. Murphy was often the pivot, moving the ball wide to Simon Davies and Damien Duff, each of whom could glance up to see Gera drop off a marker to offer himself.

This was how Fulham closed the opening half; in control and walking off to chat with Hodgson, conscious their hosts now required three unanswered goals to win the tie before extra-time.

The restart would hardly have disappointed Hodgson. His team retained the majority of possession but, when it was lost after 53 minutes, Fulham had a problem, the ball falling to Dzeko. The 24-year-old Bosnian, who is reportedly interesting Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City, raced clear at Schwarzer. But he dallied, allowing Aaron Hughes to make a superb saving tackle.

Zamora later had a headed goal ruled out for offside before each team saw shots cleared from the goalline and Wolfsburg hit a post during the final 10 minutes.

[WhiteJC]

http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2010/04/08/wolfsburg-0-1-fulham/
Wolfsburg 0-1 Fulham
Filed under: General — weltmeisterclaude @ 10:11 pm

[WhiteJC]

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2557/news/2010/04/08/1870003/roy-hodgson-fulham-victory-over-wolfsburg-is-up-there-with
Roy Hodgson: Fulham victory over Wolfsburg is up there with my best career moments
Cottagers into the last four of Europa League...

Roy Hodgson expressed his delight after witnessing Fulham cruise past Wolfsburg 1-0 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate to book their place in the semi-finals of the Europa League.

A well-taken goal after just 22 seconds from in-form striker Bobby Zamora was enough to see Fulham past the German Champions at the Volkswagen Arena, and they will now face Hamburg in the last four of the competition.

"That's up there with other good evenings I've had in football, I'm absolutely delighted with my players and the performance tonight," Hodgson told ITV Sport.

"We had control over the game and I think with a bit more energy we could have aggravated the score more in the later stages because we had so many chances. But 1-0, especially away from home, is always a good score."

Zamora has now scored 19 goals in 43 starts this season, and Hodgson was very impressed with the striker's winning goal.

"The goal did come very early, but you take your goals when you can get them, and Bob's [Zamora's] combination with Gera was magnificent for the goal."

Fulham won the first leg 2-1 at Craven Cottage, and after conceding a late away goal that night, Hodgson admitted that his defence were determined to keep a clean sheet in tonight's game.

"We were gutted to concede late in the first leg, and I'm absolutely delighted for my players that we kept a clean sheet tonight.

"It's nice to make history and I'm delighted for the players because they were so determined to give a good account of themselves, and they did that tonight."

Fulham now face Hamburg in the semi-finals after the German side beat Standard Liege 4-2 on aggregate.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2557/news/2010/04/08/1870074/fulham-captain-danny-murphy-overjoyed-at-progress-to-europa
Fulham captain Danny Murphy overjoyed at progress to Europa League semi-finals
Skipper proud of victory in Wolfsburg...

Fulham captain Danny Murphy was delighted with his side's performance as they coasted pass German champions Wolfsburg, with an early Bobby Zamora goal sealing a last four berth in the Europa League for the Craven Cottage side.

Murphy was impressed with the ease in which his team motored by the German side at the Volkswagen-Arena.

The midfielder told ITV Sport: "I thought we were quite comfortable really throughout, the early goal settled us a little bit then we knew we had the away goal which is important in these ties.

"I thought we controlled it for the majority of the game, they had wee spells, of course, they're at home, they've got some good players but we had the better chances I thought and we could have killed them off in the second half."

Roy Hodgson's side have created history this season, putting teams such as holders Shakhtar Donetsk and Italian giants Juventus out of this season's competition.

Murphy added: "It's hard to judge sometimes, we've played some good teams along the way and we've played consistently well throughout to be honest. I'd probably say the Juventus game is something that will live in the memory as it was a mature performance by the whole team."

[WhiteJC]

http://fulham.theoffside.com/team-news/onward-and-upward.html
Onward and Upward

From the Ural Mountains to the Swiss Alps, from the Vilnia river to Sofia valley, from Ancient Rome to the Volkswagen factory town..it's been quite a European adventure.

Now, the Reeperbahn and mighty port of Hamburg await Fulham's arrival. Simply unreal.

Fulham's 1-0 victory over Wolfsburg today was not just their first clean sheet in a month, it was a clinical defensive-cum-team display. Every player played well. Everyone. Bobby Zamora played like there was no reported achilles injury, while Duff and Davies showed endless endeavor that would make Steve McClaren proud. Schwarzer had a few lapses — something creeping into his game lately (perhaps fatigue?) — but made the clutch save when called upon. Baird's shooting was nothing to savor, but his defensive partnership with Hughes, Hangeland, and Konch was just mouth-watering.

The game could have easily been a 5-4 shootout with the amount of opportunities cleared off the line or donking the post, but Fulham kept their shape and composure throughout. Murphy and Etuhu bossed the midfield, causing Josué to resort to dirty tactics in the second half seemingly out of sheer frustration.

In just the knockout round alone, Fulham have defeated Shaktar Donetsk (UEFA Cup holders), Juventus (2nd in Serie A but still The Old Lady) and Wolfsburg (defending Bundesliga champions); and all three clubs played in the Champions League at one stage or another.

But it is Fulham who are going to the Final Four. Simply unreal.