Fulham Heartbreak, Athletico Glory

Fulham have played 63 games this season. 19 of those in the Europa League. They won 11, drew 5, and lost 3. At the beginning of this decade, they were a League 2 side, in 17th place. Their supporters would have been thrilled to be in the Championship. On Wednesday, they were 93 minutes from Champions League football. They had played 1,737 minutes in the Europa League--93 was a small number. 

Then there was Diego Forlan (and Sergio Aguero). His Athletico side have played 9 Europa League games this campaign, winning a mere two. At the beginning of the season they were in the Champions League group stage and fourth in La Liga. There fans knew they would be playing an English side in a European final. However, they thought that would be Manchester United at the Bernabeu. Not Fulham at the HSH Nordbank Arena.

However, Athetico-Fulham it was. And it was a classic. Fulham were playing like rivals Chelsea, passing the ball around the pitch and making Athletico look like Getafe. Then in the 10th minute Danny Murphy touched the ball. A Madrid were suddenly R Madrid and Fulham were Charlton. Zoltan Gera was having a run down the flank and Murphy turned Madrid center-back. He made a goal saving tackle on the Hungarian, then brilliantly played a through ball to Diego Forlan, who agonizingly played the ball onto Schwartzer's left post. He then made amends as he ended Aguero and Simao's 1-2 by deflecting the former's shot past the Australian's outstreched left hand. That goal, though was an invitation for Fulham to come dominate--and indeed they did, for 60 minutes. In the fifth minute of that stretch Bobby Zamora had a brilliant run down the left before darting into the box and--clearing it. However, his appeared clearance only found it's way to Damien Duff, who played a through ball to Gera. The ex-West Brom man then threaded a brilliant through ball to Madrid defender Paulo Assuncao, who nicely laid the ball into the path of Simon Davies. The Welshman said thank you very much and smashed the ball past David De Gae's near post. Forlan and Davies then had their goal like moments but both keepers did well to save identical near-post half-volleys. Fulham continued to dominate but the match was destined for extra-time from when Gera misplayed a brilliant through ball from Paul Konchesky into De Gae's arms. However, destined for extra-time did not mean destined for Fulham. 

The first period was uneventful as both clubs seemed to wait for the lottery of penalties. However, Forlan had other ideas. In the 105th minute he darted down the left side, and played a pull-back very similar to the one that would soon haunt Fulham. However, ex-Sevilla playmaker, Raul Garcia thought that you must be South American to score for Athletico in the Europa League as he passed up an open goal to drop the ball back to Aguero, who had already started his sprint into Mark Schwartzer's upright. The second period brought better play from the West London side as Erik Nevland and Clint Dempsey continuously found themselves inches away from Simon Davies' through balls. However, these brought bad fortune for Fulham after one Athletico clearance in the 117th minute found Aguero who burned Ireland's Chris Baird before putting his pull back into the path of Forlan. The Uruguayan then prodded the ball through mammoth Norwegian Brede Hangeland's legs, beating Schwartzer at his far post.

 Fulham hearts sank after 1,740 minutes. Athletico ones rose after 870. Now, you tell me, in the 115th minute, did you think it was to be or not to be for Fulham?