Fulham knock out holders Shakhtar Dontesk of the Europa League after a 1-1 draw at Donbass Arena on the night gave them a 3-2 aggregate win and ensured their qualification to the last 16
The Ukrainian side dominated before Brede Hangeland's 34th-minute header after Damien Duff's free-kick with Fulham's first chance.
Jadson swept home an equaliser from 12 yards after great work from Douglas Costa on the right-hand side.
Danny Murphy was sent off for kicking out at Darijo Srna deep into stoppage time, earning a straight red card and a possible three-match ban from the competition but Fulham held on to set up a mouth-watering last-16 clash against Juventus.
It was a resilient, if not pretty, performance from Roy Hodgson's men against the side who won the competition last season in its previous guise as the Uefa Cup.
But the hardy Fulham fans who travelled to near-freezing Donetsk will care little about the manner of a triumph that should be classed among the finest in the club's history.
Shakhtar had not played since the first leg, because of the Ukrainian league's winter break, but showed no signs of rustiness
Fulham held on to claim a big scalp after getting to the last 16 of a major European competition for the first time.
Brilliant result. Bring on Tottenham!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant performance by the lads.Roy's a genius. Just shows all the money in the world cant beat real team sprit & hard work well done.
ReplyDeleteWell done Fulham.. It's about time a team from England actually wanted to do well in the UEFA/Europa cup instead of prioritising the Premier league
ReplyDeleteFulham just outwitted the Europa champions,amazing.Well-done lads.
ReplyDelete