Forlán’s Class Crushes Fulham’s Fairytale Final

By Dominic Vieira, reporting from Portugal

Atlético 2 – 1 Fulham (AET), Europa League Final, Hamburg 

Fulham’s European fairytale did not have a happy ending as two Diego Forlán goals destroyed their dream.  It was a fairly balanced match and both teams deserved to be the winners, but in football that can’t happen. Atlético who were the stronger side overall, punished Fulham’s mistakes. Forlán, who has a growing reputation for scoring against English clubs, was the man of the night.

The expectations were high in Spain for Atlético to bring the Europa League trophy home and Los Colchorenos did not fail to complete their mission. Does this cup win symbolize the end of the curse?

Fulham, the unexpected finalists, can be proud of their performance tonight and success throughout the competition. The key strength in the side is not their style of play or tactical manager, but the solid team spirit the team possess and it was clearly evident tonight.

A Red & Black Balance 

It was a nervous opening 15 minutes of football and both teams were battling to find their pace and rhythm. Fulham were controlling the game and were comfortably circulating the ball throughout the field, but it was Atlético who almost opened the scoring in the 11^th minute. An intercepted Danny Murphy pass was picked up by Aguero who beautifully passed the ball to Forlán and his shot scraped the post. Fulham were very lucky not to concede an early goal.

The deadlock was broken in the 32^nd minute, after constantly threatening the Fulham goal, Atlético finally managed to score. Aguero elegantly controlled the ball with his head and fired a disorientated shot towards Schwarzer’s goal; Forlán got on the end of the shot and clinically slotted the ball home. He was at the right place at the right time. Los Colchorenos fans were roaring!

The celebrations were suspended as Fulham equalized 5 minutes later. Simon Davies equalised in true Fulham style! Zamora beat his defender with his physical advantage, who passed to Gera and then to Duff. The Irishman placed cross inside the box to Davies who sliced a slick volley into the back of the net. The game finally came to life!

The tempo of the game picked up and the ball started flowing freely, both teams became more relaxed and confident in possession. But, it was Atlético who continued driving forward, with Fulham tightly marking them and allowing them to play their game, but with limited freedom. Before the closure of the first half, Schwarzer parried a powerful shot from Forlán; Atlético’s key danger man in the first half.

The first half lacked a typical European final intensity, passion and tension, both teams were nervous and didn’t take risks. The second half promised to be a more exhilarating and entertaing match.

Few Risks, Few Chances, No Goals

The second half did not live up to my expectations. Both teams were more confident and the formations became less static which allowed the ball to circulate freely and rapidly up and down the field. Possession was balanced and both sides were closing down each other well, but Fulham continuously and inteligently found the gaps in Atlético’s formation and attacked though them.

Bobby Zamora, The Cottagers talisman was replaced at the beginning of the second half as his fitness was in a poor state and may need surgery. Clint Dempsey freshened up the side and changed the dynamics. Davies almost scored his second of the night in the 60th minute. De Gea, superbly blocked the shot with his palm and proved the Spanish critics why he made the provisional World Cup squad. This young goalkeeper will have a great future ahead of him.

The were no other dangerous opportunities created in the second half and it felt as if the match was going to glide through extra time and be fought out in an agonizing penalty shoot-out. The fitness of several players were reaching low levels and the tempo started to decrease; nobody took any risks.

The second half ended with Aguero trying to grab a last minute penalty, who should have been booked for a cheeky dive.

Forlán, The Ultimate Uruguayan Poacher

Forlán was the difference against Liverpool and he was the difference tonight. Both sides had golden scoring opportunities, which could have been the winning goal. Aguero was inches away from scoring in the 105th minute and Nevland ended up volleying over the bar in the 103rd. If one team doesn’t score from their chances, then the other team will and that was the case tonight.

In the 116th minute, Forlán did not miss and broke all the English hearts. A majestical pass from his partner Aguero on the left wing set up Forlán for probably the most important goal of his career. A sweet Uruguayan flick and a lucky deflection from Hangeland put the ball at the back of the net. Atlético 2 - 1 Fulham. 

Fulham did not give up, they continued driving forward even though time was minimal. Their fairytale may not have had the happiest of endings, but they have proved that clubs don’t need to spend millions to build a successful and feared team. Maybe Mr. Florentino Pérez can learn a lesson here…

Congratulations to Roy Hodgson and Fulham! And also, to Atlético Madrid who won their first European trophy in 24 years! It has been a long time since they won a competition and I hope there is a huge celebration tonight at the Fuente de Neptuno!

I’m sure many United fans are thinking: why did we sell Forlán?

Team Stats

Atlético Madrid (4-4-2): De Gea; Ujfalusi, Perea, Domínguez, Antonio Lopez ©; Reyes (Salvio 77’), Paulo Assunção, Raúl Garcia, Simão (Jurado 67’); Forlán, Aguero (Valeria 118’)

Unused Subs: Joel, Camacho, Juanito, Cabrera.

Bookings: Perea (113’), Forlán (117’)

Possession: 51%

Fulham (4-4-1-1): Schwarzer; Baird, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky; Duff (Nevland 83’), Etuhu, Murphy (Greening 118’), Davies; Gera, Zamora (Dempsey 55’)

Unused Subs: Zuberbuhler, Pantsil, Riise, Dikgacoi 

Bookings: Hangeland (62’)

Possession: 49%

Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy)

A New Era?

Atlético Madrid will build from this victory and hopefully it will lead the club to further glory. Their next trophy in their sight is the Copa del Rey where the will meet Sevilla at the Nou Camp. Quique Flores took over Los Rojiblancos in late October and this European victory has guaranteed continuation at the club. Despite being placed ninth in La Liga, Atlético will play European football next year as they have the chance to retain the trophy.

But, this season is not yet over, before the club can look toward’s stregthening and improving their squad, they must first play their final match of the season and focus on winning the Spanish Cup. Has the losing curse finally ended for them? Will Atlético’s fortunes finally changing?

Fulham have enjoyed a brilliant European run and I would have loved to see them crowned as champions. Unfortunately, they won’t be participating in the tournament next year as they finished in 12th place. Their first European final can become a turning point for them. The team been magnificent this season, especially as they are one of the clubs who spent the least amount of money on players. But, next season they need to invest if they want to compete against Everton and Aston Villa for a European spot. An area which needs improvement is their attacking sector which only scored 39 league goals. They must also keep the core of the team and maintain their genuine team spirit, Fulham are a team which can continue to imrpove and grow. And, please don’t sell Brede Hangeland!

On a final note, Roy Hodgson won the LMA Manager of the Year Award and deserves all the credit and recognition for his hard work. Even though Fulham did not win today, they have proved to never to underestimate the opposition. Finally, the players shall wear their runners-up medals proudly!

Match Goals

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