Fulham v Wolfsburg - as it happened

Teams: Fulham: Schwarzer, Davies, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Duff, Murphy, Etuhu, Dempsey, Gera, Zamora. Subs: Zuberbuhler, Baird, Nevland, Riise, Smalling, Greening, Elm. Wolfsburg: Benaglio, Pekarik, Madlung, Barzagli, Schafer, Riether, Josue, Gentner, Misimovic, Dzeko, Grafite. Subs: Lenz, Simunek, Martins, Hasebe, Johnson, Dejagah, Rever. Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia) Preamble: No time for a lengthy intro right now because I want to take a moment to sit back with my meerschaum pipe and contemplate a rum scenario: this season Fulham could well be the last English team in Europe. 8:02pm: The teams march out on to the pitch and the atmosphere is tumultuous, the plastic clapper-things that Fulham fans habitually wield lending quaintness to the occassion. 8:03pm: "Is Simon Davies playing right back for Fulham?" asks Robert Brown. Since the match hasn't started I can't confirm either way, but it looks like he will - Hodgson has said in the past that it's something he'd like to try and with Pantsil out it seems now is the time. I 1 min: Fulham kick off. 2 mins: The German champions exert some early pressure, forcing Davies, who is indeed at rightback, to head clear at the back post, where Dzeko was lurking ominously. 3 mins: Dzeko peels off Hangeland and is picked out well by Misimovic, but his shot from the edge of the box was well wide of target. Unless his target was the advertising hoarding, in which case, it was spot on. 5 mins: Fulham threaten going forward for the first time, Murphy and Duff combining well down the right before the Irishman runs the ball out of play. I concede that "threaten'" may not have been the right choice of word. 7 mins: Davies lofts a long ball over the top for Zamora to chase. The striker does so, but Benaglio sauntered off his line to get here first. 9 mins: It's a tight game so far, with lots of intense midfield skirmishing. "If Fulham do become the last English side in Europe you should republish the article about him you wrote when he was appointed," coos Peter Corway, who is like god insofar as if he didn't exist I would have to invenet him. But he does exist, so isn't really like god at all. 12 mins: "I think this is going to be the tie of the round," annoucnes Lee James. "Looking at the Bundesliga table, Wolfsburg have the second-worst goals against column and the fourth-best goals for. I'm betting there won't be a nil-nil tonight. Also, Baird was at fault for at least a couple of the Juve goals in the first leg and is slow and ponderous at full-back, Simon Davies can't be much worse." I hope you're right about this being the tie of the round - but it hasn't really got going yet. 14 mins: Fulham build from the back all the way into the Wolfsburg box, whereupon Etuhu overhits an attempted pass to Gera. It was poorly executed, but the fact surely remains that Etuhu is one of the most improved players in the Premier League over the last year or so. Hodgson has improved many players, of course. 16 mins: Though it has not been an especially entertaining start, Fulham are playing quite well, moving the ball around the pitch purposefully. Wolfsburg don't look as confident now as they did in the first few minutes. 19 mins: Now that was slick from Wolfsburg. Misimovic invited right-back Pekarik to go galloping forward and he did so, then slipped the ball through to Gentner, who blemmed a decent shot at goal from 25 yards. Schwarzer got down well to save it. 21 mins: Dempsey rolls the ball to Gera, who's in space mid-way inside the German half. He sizes up a shot and then lets fly with a swirler. The keeper spills it, but not far enough for Zamora to reach the rebound before him. 23 mins: Misimovic catches Murphy late but the ref waves play on. 25 mins: After a decent build-up by the visitors, Josue fires over from the edge of the area. 27 mins: Arrgh! Murphy played a good ball in to Zamora, who held it up well and then pl;ayed it back to Murphy at the edge of the box. He had a clear shooting opportunity but instead tried to dink a cute pass to Gera. His execution was shoddy and so was his decision. 30 mins: The passing from both sides is tidy but neither defence has been properly penetrated, so most shots are from long range. Dempsey just sent in a good one, forcing a one-handed save from Benaglio. 31 mins: Fulham get behind the German defence for the first time and Zamora flashes the ball across goal. Benaglio palms it out to the penalty spot but a defender beats Gera to it. 33 mins: What an escape for Fulham! Dzeko received a paass from midfield and attempted to drag the ball behind him and Hangeland to tee up a shot. His touch was excessively strong but that merely meant that the ball ran to Grafite, who had a clear sight of goal from 16 yards ... and boomed it over the bar! "Anyone else just a bit footballed out after last night's match?" wonders Gary Naylor, who is never, ever MBMed out. 35 mins: Dempsey floats in a cross from the left and Zamora leaps above Madlung to meet it, but keeping it down proved a challenge too far and over the bar it sails. "Can we, at half-time, have a laugh at the Hammers and their complaint to the Premier League [about Fulham fielding a supposedly weak side agaisnt Hull]," toots Chris Rebbeck, who in reality has no intention of waiting till half-time. "Can they not go a week without embarrassing themselves? I look forward to woy picking any 11 players to beat and relegate them on May 1." 38 mins: Zamora booked for shoving Schafer amid off-the-ball argy-bargy, and all moments after the ref had warned him not to do it. 40 mins: Wolfsburg's menace is latent: you can see that Grafite and Dzeko has quick understanding but so far they have just failed to connect because one or other has been imprecise when it came to the would-be killer pass: Grafite was guilty that time, his attempted ball to Dzeko being easily read by Hangeland. 42 mins: Etuhu jumps strongly to bop a Duff corner over the bar. "Re: Gary Naylor's comment: I'm actually glad I can watch a football game again without my heart beating at twice the normal rate for 90 minutes," pants Mathias Mesa. 44 mins: Freekick to Fulham wide on the left, in line with the penalty spot, if you get my drift. Duff overhits it, Zamora leans back to get his head to it and knock it back into the middle, but Wolfsburg scramble it away. 45 mins: Close! Zamora flicked the ball through to Duff, who slalomed towards the box before laying it off to Dempsey. The American has a frer shot from 18 yards but fails to trouble the keeper, curling the ball inches wide. Half-time: Time for another blast on that pipe. 46 mins: Play resumes. No changes. Exccept for to the direction that the teams are playing but you'd already deduced that. 48 mins: Tasty play by Fulham, right up until Zamora pushed over a defender in a desperate attempt to reach Davies's poorly aimed pass. 50 mins: A terrible misjudgement by Hangeland gifts Dzeko a chance to head the ball into the net from eight yards! Fortuantely for the Norwegian the striker, perhaps surprised that the ball had reached him because of Hangeland's bizarre failure to intercept the cross, nodded wide. "Hodgson seems to be getting more laudatory press now, but what's not to like about his Fulham side?" drawls Petr Fremont. "When I've seen them they're well-organised, thoughtful with the ball, and put together with a budget that would seem to be within reach of just about everyone in the English first division. Still, they have only won something like once in their last ten or so in England. What am I missing?" You're description of their merits is accurate. One of the reasons they have not won so much recently is that their squad is relatively small and key players have tired, what with them having played, I think, 53 games so far this season. 51 mins: A menacing spell from Wolfsburg, as Grafite tests Schwarzer with a ferocious shot from 20 yards. Well held by the keeper. 54 mins: Wolfsburg ratcheted up the tempo at the start of this second half but Fulham have responded well. They swept forward just now and created a good chance for Dempsey, whose shot from the edge of the box was blocked by Madlung. 55 mins: Another blunder by Hangeland! Did he get a bang on the head at half-time or what? Again he is let off by poor finishing by a striker, this time Grafite misfiring after Hangeland's mis-reading off a throughball presented him with a clear run on goal. 57 mins: This is nearly a fine match. There's lots of pretty interplay buy both teams but it's continually fizzling out around the boxes. Still, the Craven Cottage crowd appear to be enjoying it as the noise remains loud and jubilant. GOAL! Fulham 1-0 Wolfsburg (Zamora 59') Gera floated the ball through to Zamora, who trapped it nicely and, with Duff dragging one od the defenders out of his path with a decoy run, curled the ball around the other one and into the far corner from 20 yards! That's becoming a familiar sight this season. Did I mention that Hodgson has improved a lot of players? 61 mins: As ESPN were showing a replay of that goal, Grafite almost equalised, but I can't tell you how since the cameras returned to the action just in time to see Schwarzer clutching the ball to his chest with a grateful smirk on his face. GOAL! Fulham 2-0 Wolfsburg (Duff 62') A quite brilliant goal! Gera nutmegged Pekarik wide on the left to supply the overlapping Konchesky. The fullback fizzed a pass into the box, where Zamora received it, spun his man and then spoonfed Duff, who smacked the ball into the net from 12 yards! 64 mins: Schafer swings in a cross from the left and yet again Hangeland swipes at the air. And yet again his errors goes unpunished as Dzeko scuffed his shot from close range. This is the worst I've seen Hangeland play - the movement of Wolfsburg strikers appears to have frazzled him. 65 mins: Duff hoists a ball into the box from the right. Zamora challenges the keeper for it and inevitably the ref awards a free out. Bah. 67 mins: Schafer has got forward down the left to good effect tonight. This time his cross forced Konchesky to concede a corner. Madlung got his head to the delivery but nodded wide. 69 mins: Duff skins his man down the right and cracks a fine cross into the box. With Dempsey poised to connect, Madlung clears in extremis. 71 mins: Fulham are circulating the ball well, protecting their lead with style. Wolfsburg are getting frustrated and Madlung cops a yellow card for barging into Dempsey. 73 mins: That's more like it from Hangeland: he was perfectly positioned to meet Pakarik's cross and, even better, actually met it - cross cleared. 74 mins: Wolfsburg change: Pekarik off, Obafemi Martins on. That suggests a shift to a more attacking formation. "Told you!" exults Lee James. "Wolfsburg can't defend for toffee but they sure can attack - the second leg will be a scorcher. I know it's a long shot but if Fulham somehow win this tournament Woy is an absolute shoo-in for next England job isn't he?" Yes, if he wants it. I certainly can't think of a better English candidate, except perhaps that guy who's guided Twente to the top of the Eredivisie. What? Oh. 76 mins: Zamora appears to be hobbling a little. 78 mins: Duff tumbles in the box and the crowd howl for a penalty. The ref gestures at the Irishman to get the hell up, and that is a wise reaction because Duff fell over without any help from the defender. 80 mins: Hangeland cuts out an attempted through-ball from Martins. Fulham are looking safe so far. Indeed, they look the more likely to score. 81 mins: An uncharacteristically slack pass from Murphy presents Wolfsburg with a great chance to breakaway. Grafite races into the box and has Dzeko free to his right ... but he chooses to shoot, and his awful effort lands in Bishops Park. 84 mins: Hangeland has pulled himself together, and did well to intercept a ball in the direction of Dzeko. Martins collects it just outside the area, however, and unleashes a powerful low shot that forces a good save from Schwarzer. 85 mins: Wolfsburg substitution: Dejagah on, Gentner off. 87 mins: Fulham have become a little ragged in the last few minutes, making Hodgson very irate. Conceding an away goal would be serious bad news. Hodgson's solution is to withdraw the weary Murphy and introduce Baird. "A club like Aston Villa could do worse than talk to Hodgson," reckons Petr Fremont. "It's apparently heresy to suggest Martin O'Neill could be improved on, but Villa seem to have the pieces but no idea how to do the puzzle." GOAL! Fulham 2-1 Wolfsburg (Madlung 89') Wolfsburg had stretched Fulham a lot over the last few minutes and eventually caught them out with a quickly taken corner. Misimovic then swung the ball into the six-yard box, where Madlung arrived to power a bullet header past the keeper. 90 mins: Two more minutes to come. 90+1 mins: It's panic stations for Fulham as Wolfsburg rage forward in search of an equaliser. Full-time: Fulham have beaten the champions of Germany and that's a fine achievement. But whether this first-leg is big enough to enable them to reach the semi-final remains to be seen.