Clint Dempsey didn’t start Fulham’s Europa League second leg match with Juventus, but he did have the final word. The American’s 83rd-minute goal in the Cottagers’ 4-1 victory decided the series in Fulham’s 5-4 aggregate win.
Fulham always had a hill to climb to overcome a two-goal aggregate deficit against Juventus. When David Trezeguet uncorked a bullet in just the 2nd minute of action, that hill became a mountain. And, with no Dempsey in the starting lineup, odds were slimmer than
But in the 9th minute, Bobby Zamora gave the home fans hope. A nifty turn, a feathery chest touch, and a whirlwind side volley and the score was suddenly even.
Then, in the 27th minute, the referee showed Juve defender Fabio Cannavaro a straight red for hauling down Zoltan Gera. There was contact, and arguably Gera was denied a clear scoring opportunity, but the replay showed it was a soft decision.
Gera then made Juve pay for their misfortune. The Hungarian finished a sweeping move in the 39th minute ignited by a lovely flick over the top by Zamora and continued by a low cross into the area by Simon Davies. For Gera, it was an easy tap in.
So, down 4-3 coming out of the locker room, Fulham needed only a few more minutes to pull even. The referee again inserted himself into the action, whistling Brazilian midfielder Diego for a handball in the area. Gera stroked home the penalty, and the Cottagers sensed a famous victory.
Dempsey checked on in the 76th minute, and two minutes later nearly headed in Davies’s cross from the right side. He should’ve placed it better and Chimenti was able to comfortably block the shot.
There was nothing Chimenti could do about Dempsey’s matchwinner a few minutes later, though. Collecting the ball at the top of the area, he created space between him and the defender and chipped the ball toward the far post. With Chimenti off the line, the ball looped up and over, nestling into the upper 90.
Fulham now wait for Friday’s draw to learn their quarterfinal opponent.
Liverpool 3, Lille 0 (3-1 agg.)
Rafa BenÃtez warned Liverpool fans not to expect an attacking display like the one his troops put on in a 4-1 rout of Portsmouth last weekend. Just more gamesmanship from the Spaniard.
Fernando Torres scored twice and captain Steven Gerrard opened the evening with a penalty kick as the Reds found more magic at Anfield and turned the tables on Lille, reversing a 1-0 loss in the first leg in France.
The Reds evened the tie in the ninth minute with Gerrard's successful conversion following Adil Rami's foul of Liverpool's Lucas Leiva in the box. Torres gave his side the edge just after halftime with a pretty chip over Lille keeper Mickaël Landreau. "El Niño" added an insurance goal a minute from time after putting in a rebound off Gerrard's shot.
Werder Bremen 4-4 Valencia (5-5 agg., Valencia win on away goals)
Spanish international David Villa hit a hat-trick for Valencia in a wild 4-4 draw away to Werder Bremen. The aggregate score finished 5-5, so Valencia are through on the away goals rule.
Atlético Madrid 2, Sporting Lisbon 2 (2-2 agg., Atlético win on away goals)
Argentine star Sergio Agüero silenced the Estádio José Alvaldae with a brace that saw Atlético advance past the Portuguese powerhouse on the away-goals rule. Sporting twice evened the match with goals in both halves by Liedson and Miguel Veloso, but couldn't find a third goal. The clubs played to a scoreless draw in the first leg in Madrid.
Standard Liege 1-0 Panathinaikos (4-1 agg.)
Belgian powerhouse Standard had a commanding lead after a 3-1 win in the first leg, and they finished off the Greeks with a 1-0 victory at home. Congo international Dieumerci Mbokani scored the only goal just at the stroke of halftime.
Marseille 1-2 Benfica (2-3 agg.)
A disastrous final 15 minutes at the Stade Velodrome saw OM crash out to Benfica. Ahead 1-0, OM conceded a 75th-minute goal to Maximiliano Perreira and a 90th-minute one to Alan Kardec, stunning the home crowd into silence and allowing the Portuguese giants to move on.
Anderlecht 4, Hamburg 3 (Hamburg advance on 6-5 aggregate)
Mladen Petric's 75th-minute goal helped Hamburg hold off Anderlecht in a wild second leg in Belgium that saw a total of seven goals. The German side brought a 3-1 lead from the first leg only to see Anderlecht rally for four goals at their home ground.
Wolfsburg 2, Rubin Kazan 1 ET (3-2 agg.)
Christian Gentner sent Volkswagen Arena into ecstasy with a goal in the 119th minute of play as Wolfburg outlasted defending Russian Premier League champions Rubin Kazan in extra time. The tie was almost certainly headed to a penalty shootout until Nigerian international Obafemi Martins crossed the ball in from the right winger of the box to Getner, who stroked it in from the top of the box for the winner.
