Fulham 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk

Posted Friday, February 19, 2010 by theguardian.com

Fulham 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Fulham's Aaron Hughes, left, vies for the ball with Luiz Adriano of Shakhtar Donetsk.

Bobby Zamora's 63rd-minute strike grabbed a victory which may just provide Fulham a path into the Europa League last 16.

Roy Hodgson had repeated the regulation line before this game that his and the club's priorities were the Premier League and FA Cup, in that order, ahead of this particular competition.

But having heard the crowd roar when walking out for kick-off, which suggested Fulham's fans want the European nights to continue, the manager must surely have allowed himself a smile.

Almost instantly from kick-off Danny Murphy's diagonal into the Donetsk area was headed at Andriy Pyatov by Brede Hangeland, forcing the keeper to steer it over. The ensuing corner again found the central defender, which was cleared, but within three minutes Fulham had the lead.

From a throw in Murphy again collected and played a reverse ball into Zamora, who was lurking on the edge of visitor's area. His instant touch turned it on to Gera whose sliding finish rolled underneath Pyatov to put Fulham ahead.

This provoked the home crowd to enquire of the reigning champions, "Who are you?" but enough Shakhtar possession and threat ensued to offer an answer which had their team twisting on its heels.

The visitors fielded an all-Brazilian front-five. And, as the game approached the quarter hour, it was Fernandinho, a 24-year-old midfielder from Londrina, who robbed a dawdling Hangeland before providing his team's first offering of menance.

His delivery from the right came skimming over the turf and required the intervention of Aaron Hughes to ensure his central defensive partner, Hangeland, was not embarrassed by any potential equaliser. This presaged Shakhtar retaining most of the possession for the half's remainder, while trying to move the ball slickly beyond Fulham, who were managing to keep play stuck in midfield.

When approaching the home side's area Mircea Lucescu's team were zipping two-touch passes around but were static enough to allow resistance, and it was instructive that their equaliser derived from a move which broke Fulham's offside trap.

Ilsinho, who had drifted inside from his wide right berth, played a weighted ball beyond Hughes to Adriano, Donesk's lone striker.He persuaded Mark Schwarzer to commit himself by going to ground early, before finishing calmly in the 32nd minute to silence the boisterous Fulham support. This pause was momentary, though.

When Fulham broke minutes later Duff had the crowd propelling him on. His angled ball did not disappoint but Simon Davies' headed attempt, did.

Hodgson may have informed his players during the break that a lead would be a useful commodity to travel to Ukraine for next week's second leg for they again took the game to their opponents during the second half's opening.

This period contained one flowing move which involved Duff passing infield to Dickson Etuhu and possession arriving to Zamora, via Gera, before the former Spurs forward failed to find a return to his strike partner.

Having secured the away goal Donetsk appeared content to contain and threaten by the counter-attack and as the leg passed the hour there had been a few flashes of threat from the tactic.

But Fulham were rewarded for playing positively. Gera's delightful heeled pass found Zamora, who look up and fired a 25-yard belt beyond Pyatov, via the bar, a true winter warmer.