Moments after his side had suffered an extra time Europa League final crusher on Wednesday, Fulham manager Roy Hodgson reminded his squad to be proud in defeat.
"Everyone wants to finish first, but to finish second is something we can be very proud of," Hodgson said during the postgame press conference, relaying his clubhouse message. "However, the players are very, very down. Penalties are a lottery, but they fancied their chances. To concede so late was a bitter blow and it will take time before that pain passes."
Ever the sage, Hodgson was right. After all, this was brave new territory for Clint Dempsey's West London side, appearing in just the second European cup competition in their 131-year history.
They had ousted the likes of Hamburg, Juventus, Wolfsburg and "defending champs" Shakhtar Donetsk on their way to Wednesday night's silver match against Atlético Madrid, often in highly dramatic fashion.
Battling from qualification on through to the final, Fulham simply fell one shining moment short -- but not for a lack of trying.
Some observers might have considered this final matchup a bargain-bin special ahead of kickoff. That's fair enough; it was hardly Rocky Balboa vs. Ivan Drago. Fulham finished up 12th in England, while Atlético stand ninth in Spain with one game remaining.
Nevertheless, the contest lived up to the billing expected from a UEFA final in atmosphere and drama. The teams traded body blows, momentum swings and full throat supporter songs all night long.
Fulham gave nearly as good as they got in losing, in spite of Diego Forlán's controversial opener that put them on their heels before the break.
Danny Murphy and Dickson Etuhu slowed the Atlético charge up the middle and facilitated rushes forward. Damien Duff ate up space on the ball and Zoltan Gera provided ideas. Bobby Zamora worked the defense, as did Dempsey and fellow sub Erik Nevland. Keeper Mark Schwarzer made saves to keep his side in it.
The Fulham back line did have a few hiccups, as one should expect when facing an attack featuring the talents of Forlán, two-assist wizard Sergio Agüero and traffic director Raúl GarcÃa.
It can't be overlooked that usual stonewall Brede Hangeland was twice beaten to the punch by Forlán. The stingiest of air marshals, the Houston-born Norway star was bested on the ground floor on each Atlético goal.
Then again, the Uruguay ace is an expert at hiding in plain sight and then suddenly reappearing in the most dangerous spot possible.
What's more, Fulham had visibly tired a good bit by the fatal 116th minute. Agüero found a passing lane that would normally be blocked and Forlán read his strike partner's mind perfectly.
And that, in one instant, was enough to end Fulham’s magical run. There was no miracle comeback this time. Dempsey and Fulham had given their all and a moment's slack cost them the penalty shootout they may well have deserved.
No, the underdog didn’t land the knockout punch in this one. West London’s Rocky didn’t get the glory nor the Hollywood ending, and instead settled for a body blow that left them reeling.
But considering the heavyweights that lay in Fulham’s wake on the path to Hamburg, even in defeat, it was tough not to channel Hodgson’s mindset. This was a Europa League final to make everyone proud.
