Hangeland inspires Fulham to win over Shakhtar

Shakhtar Donetsk 1 Fulham 1 (Fulham win 3-2 on aggregate)

Brede Hangeland was the hero on a European glory night for Fulham as they stunned Shakhtar Donetsk to reach the last 16 of the Europa League.

The defender, along with goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, kept out almost everything the Ukrainians threw at them here last night. Hangeland also popped up with Fulham's goal – with their first attack of the night – to set up a stunning success for Roy Hodgson's men. "It has been a wonderful night for the club," the Fulham manager said. "Shakhtar showed what a good team they are. Their ability to pass and keep the ball is as good as I've seen in my 35-year career. It's another marvellous night and great credit to the team."

During their visit to England Shakhtar's players were barred from Harrods, owned by the Fulham chairman, Mohamed al-Fayed, and the Londoners knew that if they could shut up shop again they would be going through. They managed to do just that until Rodrigues Jadson fired Shakhtar level after 69 minutes.

But Fulham held out to knock out the 2009 Uefa Cup winners and make the last 16 of the competition for the first time in their history.

Only a stoppage-time red card for Danny Murphy, which will rule him out of their next match and an Achilles injury sustained by Bobby Zamora, marred a memorable evening in Donetsk. The striker is rated doubtful by Hodgson for Sunday's Premier League game at Sunderland. Fulham were under the cosh for the first half-hour but then took the lead. Zamora won a free-kick, Damien Duff floated in the cross and Hangeland's glancing header beat the Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov.

It cancelled out Adriano's strike seven days earlier, and meant Shakhtar needed to score twice to stay in the tie.

The hosts were straight back on the attack after the break but frustration grew as the substitute Douglas Costa blazed over Schwarzer's crossbar.

The moment Fulham feared arrived when Douglas reached the byline and pulled the ball back for Jadson to sweep past Schwarzer. Fulham hearts were in their mouths as Murphy was shown a red card for kicking out at Srna in stoppage time but the final whistle soon followed.

Shakhtar Donetsk (4-4-2): Pyatov; Srna, Kucher, Rakitskiy, Rat; Hubschman (Kravchenko, h-t), Fernandinho, Ilsinho, Jadson; Willian (Douglas Costa, 54), Luiz Adriano (Gladkyy, 76). Substitutes not used: Tetenko, Lewandowski, Gai, Ischenko.

Fulham (4-4-1-1): Schwarzer; Baird, Hangeland, Hughes, Kelly; Duff, Murphy, Etuhu, Davies (Riise, 89); Gera; Zamora (Elm, 72). Substitutes not used: Zuberbühler (gk), Nevland, Smalling, Greening, Marsh-Brown.

Referee: S Oddvar Moen (Norway).

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Caption competition
Caption competition
News in pictures
World news in pictures
Sport blogs

New day (slowly) rising – As Brasileirão gets underway, Brazilian football stumbles, rather than leaps into the future

The average Serie A crowd last year was 13,000 - comparable to Australia’s A-League.

by James Young

iBet: Mercedes and Hamilton to roar in Monaco

Monaco is a street circuit where driver ability is more important than anywhere else and if we take ...

by Gareth Purnell

On The Road at the Giro d’Italia: It sounds sadistic, but the team live for the mountain stages

Three weeks ago as I drove off the Eurostar, I remember thinking what a very long time it was until ...

by Martin Ayres

       
Andrew Mitchell: 'It's no good feeling hard done by'

Andrew Mitchell: 'It's no good feeling hard done by'

In his first interview since 'plebgate', the former Chief Whip opens up just enough to concede that, in politics, you have to take the rough with the smooth
Corruption and the FCO: Blue skies, white sands, dark clouds

Corruption and the FCO: Blue skies, white sands, dark clouds

Special report: Met police call for criminal inquiry into former diplomat's Cayman Islands rule
Fallen angel: Winona Ryder on bouncing back from her decade in the wilderness

Fallen angel: Winona Ryder bounces back

She owned the 1990s... but then she disappeared. Now, Ms Ryder is back with quite the bang in her latest role, as the wife of a notorious real-life Mob hitman.
Roman Polanski shakes Cannes Film Festival

Roman Polanski shakes Cannes Film Festival

The director's new film, 'Venus in Fur', is one of the raciest on offer
Rev Richard Coles: 'I don’t have any concerns that God is cross with me for being gay and eventually the Church won’t either'

Rev Richard Coles on the Church and homosexuality

The mellifluous, erudite and witty Coles is the nation's most pop-culture-friendly priest
'Baghdad likes to live from crisis to crisis': Civil war looms in Iraq

Patrick Cockburn: Civil war looms in Iraq

The governor of Kirkuk - one of the country's most violent but successful provinces - fears the worst
Written on the body: Tattooists at pains to point out their artistic credentials

Written on the body

Tattooists at pains to point out their artistic credentials
Conquering Everest: 60 facts about the world's tallest mountain

Conquering Everest: 60 facts about the world's tallest mountain

The IoS marks the sixtieth anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first reaching the peak of the highest mountain on Earth
A new, and irreversible, Dust Bowl looms

Rupert Cornwell: A new, and irreversible, Dust Bowl looms

The destructive power of tornadoes will be as nothing once the Great Plains' vast underground water reserve dries up
Every creature's needless death diminshes us all

Philip Hoare: Every creature's needless death diminishes us all

A 60 per cent decline in our national species should alarm us, yet few of us act. But to mind more about animals would reflect well on society
Killing with kindness: Burma's religious battleground - and the monks at the heart of it

Killing with kindness: Burma's religious battleground

Six years ago, the world cheered the monks behind Burma’s Saffron Revolution. Now, a horrific new eruption of religious slaughter is being blamed on a 'Buddhist Bin Laden'.
Let's take it outside: Bill Granger's Bank Holiday feast

Let's take it outside: Bill Granger's Bank Holiday feast

You can’t always depend on the weather – but you can avoid the pitfalls of the British barbecue by preparing an elaborate outdoor feast indoors ahead of time...
The Calvin report: Stirring Champions League final shows how far English game must advance

The Calvin report

Stirring Champions League final shows how far English game must advance
10 big questions for the British & Irish Lions to answer

10 big questions for the British & Irish Lions to answer

Warren Gatland's squad fly Down Under aiming to do justice to the expectations – and hoping the Wallabies stay in the pub
The Last Word: Golf must end the hypocrisy before its halo slips totally

The Last Word

Golf must end the hypocrisy before its halo slips totally