Soccer: Fulham reach Europa League final, Liverpool miss out

LONDON - Traditional underdogs Fulham and persistent underperformers Atletico Madrid will contest the first Europa League soccer final.

Fulham, who have never won a trophy in more than a century playing in English soccer, came from behind for a 2-1 semifinal victory today over Hamburg, the club due to host the May 12 final.

Although Atletico lost 2-1 after extra time at Anfield, the 2-2 aggregate meant that the Spanish team advanced on away goals to reach their first Euro final since 1986. Their only Euro triumph was back in 1962 in a Cup Winners Cup competition which no longer exists.

While Atletico's achievement in knocking out five-time European champion Liverpool was big enough, the night belonged to Fulham, the modest London club who have spent decades in the shadow of neighbours Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham.

With the final to be staged at their own Hamburg Arena, the Bundesliga team threw away a golden chance to win the game at home after Mladen Petric fired home a 30m free kick at Craven Cottage, the two sides having played to a 0-0 draw in the first leg. Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir awarded Hamburg a free kick for Danny Murphy's challenge on Ze Roberto and Petric fired home a 30m, left-foot drive.

Hamburg fired Bruno Labbadia on Monday after a 5-1 loss at Hoffenheim the day before and it looked as if temporary replacement Ricardo Moniz might lead the 1983 European Cup winner to glory.

But Fulham, who knocked out the last Uefa Cup winners, Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus and German champion Wolfsburg on the way to the semifinal, hit back.

Fulham equalised in the 69th minute when Murphy's floated pass found Simon Davies who turned a defender and fired home. Seven minutes later, a corner dropped to Zoltan Gera and the Hungarian midfielder turned to shoot past Hamburg goalkeeper Frank Rost with his left foot from close range.

"There's been a major piece of history here tonight," said Fulham manager Roy Hodgson, the modest coach who guided Switzerland to a World Cup and Inter Milan to a UEFA Cup final.

"The atmosphere is something that we'll remember for a long time.

"We've had a very tough passage to the final and we've beaten a very good team here tonight to achieve that. I'm a little bit drained of emotion at this moment. You go through a roller coaster out there."

Hurt at being eliminated from the Champions League, Liverpool were favoured to capture the consolation of winning's European football's second prize.

They cancelled out Atletico's 1-0 first-leg lead with Alberto Aquilani's 44th-minute strike and, when the game went to extra time, Yossi Benayoun added the second in the 95th minute only for Diego Forlan to reply for the Spanish club for the vital away goal.

Liverpool's failure to win a title this season leaves them with only one thing to aim for, an outside chance of finishing fourth in the Premier League which would mean a shot at next year's Champions League.

But they have two points to make up on Tottenham and Aston Villa to achieve that and another failure will mean more speculation about the future of manager Rafa Benitez.

- AP