Football

Fulham stun Juventus in Europa League with 4-1 win 10 years ago today


There’s only one thing worse than being 3-1 down to Juventus in the quarter finals of the Europa League, and that’s 4-1 down in just two minutes of the second leg.

It had been a remarkable run in Europe for the Whites.

Roy Hodgson’s ageing XI had brushed aside Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg and defending Europa League champions Shakhtar Donetsk en route to the quarters.

But Juventus appeared a step too far for Fulham, as David Trezeguet put the visitors ahead before Hodgson had even taken his seat in the dugout at Craven Cottage.

Zoltan Gera celebrates scoring his penalty

Fulham supporters weren’t too dishearten.

The run had been surreal; the club had been punching well above its weight all season. What’s more, fans had been spoilt with some incredible memories, including away trips to Rome and Basle.

But down on the pitch the players had other ideas.

Bobby Zamora was first to get the show on the road, bringing a cross down on his chest before volleying home.

Gera scores from the spot

Spurred on by fans – entirely swept up in the notion that the impossible could be achieved – chanting “Stand up if you still believe”, Fulham went for the jugular and drew a professional foul from Fabio Cannavaro.

His red card and Zoltan Gera’s first of the night saw the match become increasingly frenetic, and it wasn’t long before Juventus were dealt another hammer blow.

A handball in the box from Diego saw the Brazilian concede a penalty, providing Fulham with the opportunity to go level on aggregate.

Gera shouldered the responsibility and tucked away his spot-kick, leaving the Whites with the best part of the second half to turn the tie around completely against their 10-man opponents.

Clint Dempsey finds the back of the net

Juventus worked hard to bring the game under control, and kept the buoyant Whites at Bay.

But with just eight minutes of the match left to play, Fulham’s greatest moment of the last decade – as voted for by fans in a recent poll – saw every jaw drop inside Craven Cottage.

Picking the ball up on the edge of the Juventus area, Clint Dempsey chipped a ball into the general direction of Antonio Chimenti’s goal.

Dempsey celebrates as Fulham dumped out Juventus

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Was it a shot or a cross? We will never know, but time stood still from the moment the ball left the American’s foot to the second it rolled down the inside of the net, and you could hear a pin drop on the terraces.

The wonderstrike saw Fulham win the tie and progress to the semi final, where they would beat hosts Hamburg.

The fairytale would come to an end at the Volksparkstadion, where Atletico Madrid came out on top in the final.

But March 18, 2010, the day little old Fulham took down Juventus by the Thames, lives long in the memory of every fan.





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