Fulham 4 Juventus 1; agg 5-4

The Europa League game between Fulham and Juventus at Craven Cottage on Thursday March 18 2010.

He had talked the talk and, on Thursday night, gloriously, irrepressibly, he walked the walk. Bobby Zamora led Fulham to an exhilarating, improbable, fabulous victory in the Europa League, trouncing and traumatising a shell-shocked Juventus. At Craven Cottage the Old Lady had an attack of the vapours.

Zamora had spoken of how he was going to give Fabio Cannavaro a hard time.

It wasn’t an empty threat. He did just that. Except then the veteran Italian international got himself sent off, a straight red card, perhaps harshly, perhaps a moment when his cynical play finally caught up on him, for bundling over Zoltan Gera with an hour to go. That lit the touch-paper on an already raucous response from Fulham.

At the final whistle, having over-hauled a deficit that, at one stage stood 4-1 in favour of the Italians after their first-leg 3-1 victory, and who were eventually reduced to nine-men, with Jonathan Zebina’s injury-time dismissal for kicking out at Damien Duff, the disbelieving Fulham players went on an exhausted lap of honour. Alessandro Del Piero tried to escape but Simon Davies caught him to swap shirts — and who could blame him?

This was, probably, surely, the greatest night in Fulham’s history and everyone who was here, except for the shell-shocked, silenced Juve supporters, will recall it time and time again.

They will recall the way in which Zamora, the much-maligned, much-criticised, and, at times, lumbering striker out-muscled the canny Cannavaro — using some of the defender’s own dark arts to create space — to chest down and volley past 39-year-old, third-choice goalkeeper Antonio Chimenti who went on to have an horrific evening.

They will recall two goals from Zoltan Gera and they will recall, above all, the way in which Clint Dempsey shimmied along the edge of the penalty area to drift the most exquisite of right-foot chips up and over Chimenti and into the top corner of the net.

As the ball arced through the air, it was unerring. It was almost as if time stood still for the breathless Fulham supporters and how their team deserved such a brilliant goal to win a brilliant match and cap a brilliant performance, a brilliant comeback.

They march on into the quarter-finals of this competition, with the draw on Friday, but it’s almost immaterial. An adventure that started last July in Lithuania and appeared to have died last week in Turin goes on and on.

Exhausted limbs are being dragged from match to match and this will be a season to remember. Juventus may be a pale-shadow of the side which once dominated Europe, twice winning the European Cup, but they are still studded with big names.

This was a big scalp with Fulham having already knocked out the holders, Shakhtar Donetsk and they did it without a dozen or so injured or suspended players.

None of the clubs left in the competition will want to play them such is the spirit, the organisation, the belief, instilled by manager Roy Hodgson whose reputation grows and grows. He was exuberant, disbelieving himself but when he looks back over what just happened he will know it was a match in which he out-coached Alberto Zaccheroni and his team out-played their much-vaunted opponents who simply had no answer, no response.

And to think, Juve had gone ahead after precisely 90 seconds with the kind of goal that crushes spirits. But not for Fulham. When Stephen Kelly and Brede Hangeland made a hash of clearing a routine cross, the ball broke to David Trezeguet and he swept it into the net. Silence.

And then a response. Despite the goal, Fulham sensed a vulnerability. Juve creaked in defence and Chimenti, playing only his second game in two years, having conceded three goals at the weekend, looked shaky. So when Paul Konchesky crossed, Cannavaro went to ground and Zamora, in front of England manager — and former Juve coach — Fabio Capello scored.

The striker then spun in the centre-circle to slide a pass to Gera who, as he collected the ball, and through on goal, was bundled into by Cannavaro.

Red card number one from referee Bjorn Kuipers. It looked harsh and the Italians were furious while Chimenti clawed away Zamora’s free-kick. Fulham won another. This time Simon Davies lofted it against the cross-bar and the rebound struck Zamora and was scrambled away. From the corner, Dickson Etuhu smacked a header against the outside of the post.

But Fulham were relentless and in the move of the match Konchesky played the ball into Zamora who cleverly flicked the ball up to Davies who squared it low for Gera to stab it in at the near post.

Fulham sensed something special and soon after the re-start Gera hared down the right, back-heeling a pass into the path of Duff whose cross struck Diego’s hand. Unintentional but unmistakeably so and Kuipers pointed to the spot. Gera, calmly, side-footed home the penalty. Little wonder the Hungarian pointed to the heavens.

Having levelled up the tie Fulham, inevitably, lost a little momentum. It had taken some effort to get this far but, finally, they went again.

Chimenti beat out a snap-shot from Davies, Dempsey, on as a substitute, had a header pushed away before the goalkeeper repelled Gera’s shot.

As improbable as it seemed at kick-off, extra-time loomed. But not so. There was then Dempsey’s wonderful intervention after Etuhu rolled the ball into his feet and the Juve defenders, suicidally, stood off. What a goal, what a tie, what a night.

Fulham’s greatest moments

1932 Fulham win Division Three South with a club record 111 goals, including a memorable 10-2 win over Torquay, then the club’s record victory.

1949 Fulham finally reach the top flight when, in 1949, they finish top of the old Second Division, finishing just a point ahead of West Bromwich Albion.

2001 A 2-1 win at Huddersfield thanks to a Louis Saha penalty and winner from Luis Boa Morte confirms promotion to the Premiership for the first time, with five games remaining.

1975 Fulham reach their first – and only – FA Cup final by beating Birmingham in the semi-final replay, thanks to a John Mitchell goal in extra time. But a side including Bobby Moore and Alan Mullery lose 2-0 in the final to West Ham.

2002 Fulham win the InterToto Cup, beating another Italian side, Bologna over two legs. After a 2-2 draw in Italy, Jean Tigana’s side win 3-1 at Loftus Road to qualify for the Uefa Cup and reach the third round.

Liverpool 3 Lille 0, agg 3-1

The Europa League game between Liverpool and Lille at Anfield on Thursday March 18 2010.

Far from a sinking ship, the ferry across the Mersey showed no sign of being holed below the waterline whatever Albert “Dock’’ Riera might think. It was never plain sailing but goals from Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres allowed Liverpool to steam into the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday night.

Following his intemperate outburst on life under Rafa Benitez, Riera might not have a future at Liverpool, barring a Kopite keelhauling, but Liverpool certainly have a future in the Europa League. They are deservedly in Friday’s draw courtesy of well-taken goals by their usual powerhouses and a dynamic midfield display from a slightly unlikely source, Lucas. The Brazilian excelled, proving a far more adventurous force than normal, embodying Liverpool’s hunger to stay in this competition.

News of momentous events at the Cottage had been announced over the Tannoy before kick-off, drawing an ovation from the Kop, and generating further belief in overturning a first-leg deficit.

The faith of Liverpool’s fans was reflected in the players’ brisk movement during the warm-up; there was a real intensity to their practice that was maintained with a high-tempo start, which brought Gerrard’s ninth-minute penalty and continued with Torres’s fine finish shortly into the second half.

For Liverpool’s first, Lucas won the kick, showing skill and pace to drag the ball away from Yohan Cabaye and racing into the Lille area. As Adil Rami unfurled a leg, Lucas accepted the invitation, ensured contact was made and went crashing to the floor.

After consulting his additional assistant referee, Nicola Rizzoli pointed to the spot. Gerrard made no mistake, sending Mickael Landreau the wrong way, much to the Kop’s delight.

An early goal was exactly what Benítez had ordered to settle any nerves. Anfield was quick to show its appreciation for Benítez, whose pre-match preparations had been complicated by Riera’s ill-timed outburst. No dissent could be found in the body language of Benítez’s players, who looked utterly focused on turning their manager’s game-plan into reality.

Benítez’s captain, Gerrard, was certainly in the mood, storming into a challenge on Aurelien Chedjou that was 60-40 against the Englishman. The spinning ball was swiftly seized on by Torres, who almost conjured up a magnificent second. Running at Emerson Conceicao, Torres nutmegged Lille’s left-back in a wonderful movement missing only a large shout of “Ole’’. As Chedjou then dived in, Torres let fly, his shot angling just wide.

Liverpool were now playing with all the confidence they have lacked for long spells this season, moving the ball with the accuracy and assertiveness that characterised Monday’s pummelling of Portsmouth, giving hope for Sunday’s trip to Old Trafford.

Even with assorted absentees, Maxi Rodriguez (ineligible), Alberto Aquilani (under the weather) and Riera (out in the cold), Liverpool were fluid and forceful.

Benítez’s players had known how much this meant, how the Europa League was their one shot at glory. They had also known that footballing royalty was in the house, Diego Maradona causing a wave of excitement as he took his seat in the directors’ box. In front of the Hand of God, Liverpool had the upper hand, almost adding a second on the half-hour. After the live wire Torres won a corner, Gerrard swerved the ball over. Daniel Agger, timing his arrival and rising well, flicked a header goalwards which Landreau eventually claimed. Dirk Kuyt then invited Lucas to run at Lille’s defence again. The Brazilian, a positive influence throughout, forced Landreau into a low save.

Yet there is class in this Lille side, a greater confidence patently evident in French teams this season. Rudi Garcia’s side soon began responding to the exhortations of their 2,500 supporters. Florent Balmont, short of hair but long on ambition, started dribbling and passing from the deep, often switching play. Eden Hazard, who so troubled Liverpool in northern France, almost struck a valuable away goal shortly before the break, darting through the middle, his shot hitting Pepe Reina and diverting over. Anfield sighed in relief.

Resisting this flurry of threat from Lille, Liverpool urgently sought a second. One strong Gerrard charge was ended by Rio Mavubu, whose father played for Zaire in the 1974 World Cup against the watching Kenny Dalglish. Mavubu’s usual anchoring shift had the additional responsibility of shadowing Gerrard, an onerous assignment as the England midfielder kept raiding forward in support of Torres.

Kuyt was also in constructive mood, lifting over a cross from the right. Leaping high above a sea of white shirts was Torres, who seemed to hang in the air as the ball came over. The Spaniard met the ball well enough, sending it back across Landreau in textbook fashion but it glided just over.

Torres’s disappointment was not to last long. Three minutes after the restart, Ryan Babel drilled a long ball forward and it should have been meat, drink and petit fours for Rami. Lille’s centre-half made a dog’s dinner of it, letting the ball bounce over him, gifting Torres possession.

Liverpool’s No 9 accelerated towards goal, checking momentarily to deceive Chedjou, and then beating Landreau with the most confident of finishes, the ball placed expertly past the Lille goalkeeper.

There were some nervous moments still to negotiate. Lille’s substitute, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, wasted a good opportunity after 73 minutes. The Kop grew anxious, chanting “attack, attack, attack’’. Torres needed little encouraging, and was soon embarking on a lengthy run that climaxed with Insua chipping the ball over Landreau’s goal.

Yet still the atmosphere creaked with anxiety. Seeking to shake up his attacking options, Benitez withdrew Babel and sent on Yossi Benayoun. Liverpool made it 3-0 on the night when Gerrard’s shot was saved and Torres played the poacher. The sinking ship is still going places and Maradona joined in the standing ovation for Torres.

Sporting Lisbon 2-2 Atletico Madrid

Sergio Aguero struck twice as Atletico Madrid progressed to the quarter-finals of the Europa League with an away-goals triumph over Sporting Lisbon.

All four goals in the second leg at the Estadio Jose Alvalade came in the first half, with Aguero twice putting Atletico ahead and Sporting hitting back through efforts from Liedson and Anderson Polga.

Neither side could force a winner in the second half, leaving Atletico as the victors and still on course for a cup double having also reached the final of the Spanish Copa del Rey.

In the goalless first leg Atletico failed to break down a Sporting side reduced to nine men following the dismissals of Leandro Grimi after 31 minutes and Tonel (89), but it took them less than three minutes to breach a full-strength Lisbon outfit here.

Sporting failed to clear their lines sufficiently from one attack, and when Antonio Lopez regained possession and drove in a low cross, the unmarked Aguero stole in at the near post to side-foot past Rui Patricio.

Atletico could not have asked for a better start, but they enjoyed their advantage for just 15 minutes before Sporting drew level through Liedson.

The Brazil-born forward came the closest to a goal during the first leg when he hit the crossbar from 25 yards out, but there was no denying him from four yards tonight as he powerfully headed in Miguel Carlos Saleiro's dinked cross.

Atletico went back in front in the 32nd minute.

A good move resulted in Jose Antonio Reyes playing in Aguero inside the area, and the stocky Argentinian turned inside Anderson before coolly slotting a shot inside the far post with the outside of his foot.

Reyes then came within inches of putting Atletico 3-1 up with a superb 25-yard free-kick, but there was to be another setback for the Spanish side on the stroke of half-time as Sporting drew level for a second time.

Miguel Veloso fired a free-kick into the area and Anderson got the faintest of touches to help the ball on its way past David De Gea.

That was just the breakthrough Sporting would have been hoping for prior to the interval, but ultimately it would not be enough to save them.

Sporting almost got a perfect start to the second half when De Gea was called onto make a brilliant one-handed save from Saleiro, while Liedson put an opportunity wide at the far post soon after.

The home side would not create many better openings after that, however, and it was Atletico who were celebrating at the end.

Marseille 1-2 Benfica

Alan Kardec came off the bench to inflict last-minute heartbreak on Marseille as his late goal sent Benfica through to the Europa League quarter-finals.

The game seemed destined for penalties after Maxi Pereira swiftly levelled following Mamadou Niang's 70th-minute opener.

However, Kardec's last-gasp goal, just three minutes after coming on and his first for Benfica, put the Portuguese team through.

There was further misery for Marseille when Hatem Ben Arfa was dismissed in stoppage time, seconds after coming on, for lashing out at the Benfica goalscorer.

The game started cautiously but Benfica should have taken the lead in the 23rd minute when Oscar Cardozo's 25-yard thunderbolt smashed off the right upright.

That seemed to spark the hosts into life and they came close to going in front five minutes later as Benoit Cheyrou evaded two Benfica defenders before releasing Fabrice Abriel who served Brandao but he headed over.

Angel Di Maria could have put the visitors in front in the 35th minute but Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda did well to collect his low rasping shot.

As half-time approached Marseille began to step up a gear and Julio Cesar pulled off a good save to deny Brandao before former Porto player Lucho Gonzalez sent his effort inches wide.

Benfica came close to breaking the deadlock shortly after the hour mark when Fabio Coentrao took advantage of space on the left flank before putting in a delightful cross which evaded Mandanda and which an ideally-placed Javier Saviola should have done better with.

The visitors were completely dominating the tie and it seemed a matter of time before they took the lead but they continued to waste a plethora of chances and it was Marseille who took the lead against the run of play.

Niang flicked on Cheyrou's free-kick towards Brandao who returned the favour and the Senegal international tapped the ball home.

But their lead lasted only four minutes before Pereira's 35-yard free-kick took a slight deflection off Cheyrou before flying into the back of the net.

And worse was to come for Marseille as in the final minute Pablo Aimar's free-kick found its way through to Kardec, who lashed it past Mandanda to send the travelling fans into raptures.

There was still time for Ben Arfa, Marseille's last-minute hero in the first leg, to be handed a straight red card moments after coming off the bench, for kicking out at Kardec.

Standard Liege 1-0 Panathinaikos

Dieudonne Mbokani scored the only goal of the game as Standard Liege completed a comfortable passage into the last eight of the Europa League with a home win over Panathinaikos.

The Belgian champions had done most of the hard work in the first leg in Greece when they won 3-1 and dominated the return to deservedly progress.

Mbokani claimed his goal in first-half injury time when goalkeeper Sinan Bolat's long clearance was allowed to run through to the Congo striker to slide home from 12 yards.

In the build up to the match Pana coach Nikos Nioplias claimed his side were better than Standard and that they could overcome the two-goal deficit to progress.

But the Greek side rarely threatened in the opening half as Standard stamped their authority on the game.

Pana goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas was kept busy in the early stages, making his first save after three minutes when he tipped a Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez shot from the centre of the area past the post.

Tzorvas then pushed a header from Mbokani wide five minutes later before clearing the ensuing corner to safety.

The visitors' first shot on target arrived after 12 minutes when Kostas Katsouranis headed into the arms of Bolat.

Standard replied with a string of chances with Mbokani firing wide before Tzorvas saved long-range efforts from Igor De Camargo and Wilfried Dalmat.

Despite Standard controlling possession, they almost fell behind three minutes before half-time.

France striker Djibril Cisse won a free-kick just outside the area and Giorgos Karagounis' pin-point delivery picked out Dimitris Salpingidis.

His header came back off the post before Karagounis saw his follow-up strike tipped wide by Bolat.

Standard deservedly led at the break following some slack defending from the visitors.

There was little danger when Bolat cleared from his own half, but the ball was allowed to run through to Mbokani, who made full use of the defence's hesitation to fire his side ahead from 12 yards.

It took the sting out of Pana heading into the second half and Standard sat back and comfortably defended their advantage.

Gilberto Silva and Sebastian Leto both forced saves from Bolat, but the home side were never in any danger of failing to secure their place in the quarter-finals.

Werder Bremen 4-4 Valencia

David Villa scored a hat-trick as Valencia advanced to the Europa League quarter-finals on away goals after a thrilling draw against Werder Bremen tonight.

Valencia grabbed the lead after two minutes through Villa and Juan Manuel Mata made it 2-0 with just quarter of an hour gone.

Hugo Almeida pulled a goal back for the hosts in the 26th minute before Villa grabbed his second just before the interval.

Torsten Frings scored from the penalty spot in the 57th minute and Marko Marin made it 3-3 just five minutes later, but Villa completed his hat-trick in the 65th minute and Claudio Pizarro's strike six minutes from time was not enough for the home side.

Valencia jumped ahead just two minutes into the game after a poor headed clearance which landed right at the feet of David Silva. The Spain international found Villa in space on the left and he beat Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese with a shot into the far corner.

Bremen had two fine chances through Aaron Hunt and Claudio Pizarro but it was Valencia who scored again on 15 minutes as Silva was the provider once more, finding Mata who fired past Wiese.

That prompted Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf to bring on another striker, Miguel Almeida, in place of midfielder Tim Borowski after just 21 minutes.

And Almeida cut the deficit just five minutes after coming on, slotting home Pizarro's fine cross.

The German side continued to push forward and Hunt and Almeida both failed to take advantage of chances nine minutes from the break.

And Villa silenced the Bremen crowd just before half-time, firing home from eight yards after Silva's pass from the touchline.

The gap was back to one after 57 minutes as Bremen captain Frings converted a penalty after Jordi Alba brought down Marin in the area.

Frings' shot was hit directly at Valencia goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez but he could only punch the ball into his own goal.

Marin equalised five minutes later with Mesut Ozil setting up the young German international to beat Sanchez.

However, Valencia held their nerve and Villa collected a long diagonal pass from Mata before beating Wiese and completing his hat-trick after 65 minutes.

Bremen refused to give up and Pizarro equalised with a header in the 84th minute for his ninth goal of the competition, but the home side could not score the vital winner in five minutes of stoppage time.

Wolfsburg 2-1 Rubin Kazan AET

Christian Gentner scored in the 119th minute as Wolfsburg advanced to the quarter-finals of the Europa League with a home victory over 10-man Rubin Kazan in the last 16.

After a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Russia, Alan Kasaev gave Rubin the lead after 21 minutes. Obafemi Martins equalised for the German champions Wolfsburg in the 58th minute.

Rubin went a man down after 109 minutes as Cesar Navas was shown a second yellow card, and Gentner scored the match-winner a minute before the end of extra-time.

The first good chance of the game came after 15 minutes for the hosts. Edin Dzeko fought his way through the left side and crossed into the box where Ashkan Dejagah could not beat Rubin goalkeeper Sergey Ryzhikov from five yards.

The Russian champions grabbed the lead six minutes later on a counter-attack. The ball went to Aleksandr Bukharov, whose pass picked out the run of Kasaev for a blast past Wolfsburg goalkeeper Marwin Hitz from six yards.

Rubin nearly doubled the lead with a counter-attack in first-half stoppage time but Wolfsburg defender Alexander Madlung twice got in the way of shots - first by Bukharov from 14 yards and Hasan Kabze from 16 yards.

Wolfsburg pushed forward after the break with Dzeko heading over the crossbar from 12 yards and Dejagah's attempt from seven yards sailed over the goal after 55 minutes.

Wolfsburg finally equalised three minutes later. Jan Simunek headed a free-kick at the right post across the face of goal to an unmarked Martins, who headed in from two yards out to make it 1-1.

Gokdeniz Karadeniz pulled a shot wide just after the hour mark for Rubin while Martins' header was too centrally placed and Ryzhikov held after 66 minutes.

Ryzhikov was forced to make an excellent save on Martins two minutes into stoppage time. The Rubin goalkeeper produced a stunning save just seconds later, blocking away Zvjezdan Misimovic's shot from seven yards. But the ball went to Dzeko, who slotted home but was ruled offside.

Wolfsburg again were close after 101 minutes but Macbeth Sibaya was in the way of Marcel Schafer's blast. Cesar Navas' header went just wide left two minutes later for the Russians.

But the Spaniard was sent off in the 109th minute for his second warning.

Martins set up the winner, streaking down the right side before crossing to the left edge of the area, where Gentner blasted a shot into the lower right-hand corner from 16 yards.

Anderlecht 4-3 Hamburg

A goal 15 minutes from time from Mladen Petric sealed Hamburg's place in the last eight of the Europa League after a thrilling clash with Anderlecht.

The Germans had appeared to be cruising through with the game goalless approaching half-time, before it sprang to life with three goals in as many minutes.

Jerome Boateng put Hamburg 4-1 ahead in the tie in the 42nd minute but Romelu Lukaku headed home to pull one back and Matias Suarez then converted an injury-time penalty.

Marcell Jansen restored Hamburg's two-goal aggregate lead but Anderlecht responded through Lucas Biglia before Mbark Boussoufa, back from a knee injury, made it 5-5 on aggregate.

However, Petric struck on 75 minutes to break the home side's resistance.

Early on the game offered little in terms of clear-cut chances, with Frank Rost untested in the Hamburg goal until the 34th minute when he dealt with Ondrej Mazuch's shot from the right.

Anderlecht were putting Bruno Labbadia's side under little pressure and the match was devoid of creative spark until just before the break.

Hamburg appeared to put the tie beyond doubt when Boateng sent a right-footed shot into the top corner three minutes before the break.

However, the hosts pulled one back two minutes later when Boussoufa's cross from the right was headed home from close range by Lukaku.

Ariel Jacobs' side then rounded off a remarkable spell when Suarez coolly converted a penalty after he was fouled by Boateng.

Such a breathless end to the first half was followed by a tentative start to the second period until Hamburg restored their two-goal aggregate lead.

Ruud van Nistelrooy sent in a cross from the right for Marcell Jansen to convert but again the Germans could not hold onto their lead and Anderlecht restored their lead on the night five minutes later when Biglia scored from the centre of the penalty area.

Just seven minutes later and the hosts were back in it, Boussoufa slotting home Lukaku's left-wing cross from the six-yard box to put Anderlecht 4-2 ahead on the night and making it 5-5 on aggregate.

Hamburg were not to be denied though, and nine minutes later Petric restored their lead in the tie and booked a place in the quarter-finals.

Sporting Lisbon 3 Everton 0; agg 4-2

The Uefa Europa League second leg game between Sporting Lisbon and Everton at the Jose Alvalade Stadium, Lisbon, Portugal on Thursday Feb 25 2010.

The Portuguese are a compassionate bunch. Their bullfights, for example, finish when the wounded beast is led away to be put out of its misery in private. Yet there was nothing humane about the way Everton were knocked out of the Europa League last night, left to die by inches in front of their plentiful support.

The question those fans will have been asking as they made their way back to the bars was whether this really was the same side that beat Manchester United.

Phil Neville had said before the game that they must score the first goal to be confident of progressing, so why did they start as sluggishly as an old Skoda, letting Sporting swarm all over them?

Louis Saha came close, and Philippe Senderos had an effort ruled offside, but Everton had been outplayed long before Miguel Veloso, the midfielder who scored in the first leg, got Sporting under way. “We never got started,” David Moyes agreed. “They deserve to go through.”

The Everton manager will seek some solace from the return of Phil Jagielka after 10 months out with cruciate ligament damage, but this being Everton the centre-back’s return coincided with yet another injury, to Senderos who limped off with an ankle problem.

Moyes should be furious. He will know his side should have been better. “I didn’t see it coming,” he said. “We didn’t hit the level of recent weeks.” True, they were not helped by pre-match visa difficulties experienced by Joseph Yobo and Yakubu, but Sporting have their own concerns. Coming into this match the Portuguese side had not won in seven.

Everton’s first task, given the slim advantage gained from the first leg, was therefore to capitalise on their opponents’ crisis of confidence, yet they were palpably outgunned.

Joao Moutinho’s free-kick had struck Tim Howard’s crossbar long before Carlos Saleiro threaded the ball to Veloso. With both centre-backs playing him onside the midfielder slid the ball inside Howard’s near post with some ease.

The goalkeeper was then completely bamboozled when Pedro Mendes’s shot, from outside the area, took a deflection off the bottom of Jack Rodwell’s boot.

Everton became increasingly desperate, Steven Pienaar picking up a booking for a rash tackle. Devoid of opportunities, the South African, up before the beak on drink driving charges next month, looked as frustrated as a boy-racer at the wheel of a Lamborghini but bogged down in traffic.

Then in added time Matias Fernandez, on for only a matter of minutes, rounded Howard and stuck the terminal spear into Everton’s back.

Shakhtar Donetsk 1 Fulham 1; agg 2-3

The Uefa Europa League second leg game between Shakhtar Donetsk and Fulham at the Donbass Arena, Donestsk, Ukraine on Thursday Feb 25 2010.

In Premier League terms, Fulham may be less fashionable than the 'Big Four’ but, in the cauldron of the Donbass Arena, they produced one of the most impressive performances in this or any other season to send the Uefa Cup holders out of the competition. They now face Juventus, conquerors of Ajax, in the last 16.

Leading 2-1 from the first leg, Fulham added a third goal through Brede Hangeland in a rare attack, then withstood an orange-and-black onslaught, surviving until the 70th minute, when Jadson gave the home side fresh hope.

Yet Fulham survived, even though they finished with 10 men after Danny Murphy became their fourth player to be sent off in Europe this season, for a late challenge on Darijo Srna.

And the emotion of the evening even affected the normally cool Roy Hodgson, who later apologised for his furious rant at Douglas Costa.

Hodgson targeted Douglas, believing he had fouled Damien Duff, when in truth it was Ilsinho, who was booked for the challenge.

Hodgson said: “It was a wonderful night. Shakhtar showed what a good team they are; their ability to pass and keep the ball is as good as I’ve seen in 35 years. The only thing that marred the evening was the sending off of Murphy, who had a very good game and will now miss the next game.”

Mircea Lucescu, Shakhtar’s coach, was unhappy about referee Svein Moen’s nationality. He said: “I didn’t like the referee, he was from Norway and Fulham had players from there.”

Shakhtar dominated the tie from the start, and Mark Schwarzer, the Fulham goalkeeper, was outstanding, making the first of several superb saves, from Willian. Jadson then sidefooted a good chance wide and, after Luiz Adriano squandered another opportunity, Schwarzer made an even more impressive save, arching to his right to deny Fernandinho.

Yet Fulham stunned the home crowd when, in the 33rd minute, they took the lead.

Bobby Zamora, who later limped off with a calf injury and is doubtful for Sunday’s trip to Sunderland, won a free-kick on the right and from Duff’s perfect delivery Hangeland flicked his header into the top corner. But Shakhtar’s pressure eventually told and in the 70th minute Douglas fed Jadson, who found the bottom corner. The atmosphere grew even more feverish as the hosts chased the winner.

Fulham held firm, despite Murphy’s dismissal in added time, to complete one of the proudest nights in the club’s history.

Unirea Urziceni 1 Liverpool 3; agg 1-4

The Europa League second leg game between Unirea Urziceni and Liverpool at the Steaua Stadium, Bucharest, Romania on Thursday Feb 25 2010.

A record broken, a streak ended, an anniversary commemorated and a reputation, partially, restored. Feb 25, 2010 may be a footnote in Anfield’s history compared to the same date last year, when Rafael Benítez’s side conquered the Bernabeu, but for a man who feels the weight of the club’s past more than most, it will live long in the memory.

Steven Gerrard’s fortuitous goal, which followed fine strikes from Javier Mascherano and Ryan Babel, was the Liverpool captain’s 33rd in Europe, making him the most prolific British player in continental competition.

That Gerrard passed such a milestone in Bucharest rather than Barcelona shows that Liverpool’s continued place among the game’s giants remains open for debate, but that he passed it at all means there can be no question that Gerrard, at least, can hold his head high in even the most exalted company.

“It is always nice to break records,” the Liverpool captain said. “I have been working really hard to get back among the goals, but the most important thing was to get through to the next round.”

Benítez echoed Gerrard’s sentiments. “It is really positive for him and for the club,” he said. “This is a historic club with a lot of records and having an individual one like that is massive for him and for everyone at Liverpool. It also means we play a lot in Europe.”

The clubs remaining in the last 16 are likely to extend Liverpool and their captain rather more than Unirea Urziceni, their valiant hosts, managed, for all their vim and vigour. In the next round they face French club Lille.

When Liverpool were drawn against the Romanian champions, the fixture was assumed to be a bye, so lazily are eastern European teams dismissed. But Unirea set about their illustrious guests with the air of a team determined to subvert stereotypes.

As should be expected in a country which produced Gheorghe Hagi, Roni Levi’s side were technically accomplished, possessed of a dash of panache and, in Razvan Paduretu, boasted a player who – in terms of his set-piece delivery, at least – could match the Maradona of the Carpathians.

It was from one of Paduretu’s menacing corners that the hosts took the lead, an unmarked Bruno Fernandes thumping a header past Pepe Reina to wipe out Liverpool’s slender first-leg advantage. Cue bedlam, cue dread.

Three more corners in quick succession caused a measure of panic in the Liverpool rearguard, but by that stage Mascherano had scored only the third goal of his Liverpool career, blasting a 25-yard shot past the stranded Giedrius Arlauskis.

Babel then put Liverpool in the lead with a smart turn and shot before the break and the tie was all but over.

Gerrard’s goal, pouncing on a loose ball after a typical jinking run from Yossi Benayoun, his shot ricocheting off Arlauskis’s legs, added a slightly unkind gloss to the scoreline, but marked Liverpool’s first three-goal haul since September.

Last-16 draw

• Juventus v Fulham
• Atlético Madrid v Sporting Lisbon
• Valencia v W Bremen
• Hamburg v Anderlecht
• Benfica v Marseille
• Lille v Liverpool
• Panathinaikos v Standard Liege
• Rubin Kazan v Wolfsburg

Two-leg ties to be played March 11 & 18

Valencia 3-0 Club Brugge

Valencia bounced back from a first-leg deficit against Club Brugge to seal their place in the last 16 of the Europa League.

Juan Manuel Mata gave Valencia the perfect start when his goal in the opening 20 seconds cancelled out Brugge's advantage from the first meeting, but Los Che had to wait until the additional period to settle what was a thrilling contest at the Mestalla to win 3-1 on aggregate.

Pablo Hernandez finally managed to find a way past inspired visiting goalkeeper Stijn Stijnen seven minutes into extra-time and, after the hosts had missed a host of chances, the winger added his second late on to seal the triumph.

Boosted by their early breakthrough from Mata, Valencia laid siege to the Belgian side's goal during an impressive opening half-hour and Mata, Pablo and David Villa (twice) all went close to scoring.

Brugge withstood the onslaught, though, and they enjoyed a couple of decent efforts of their own before the half-time whistle.

Ivan Perisic sent one into the side-netting after intercepting a poor pass by David Albelda, and the young Croatian then fired over from a free-kick.

The first half ended with Valencia back on the attack, but Ever Banega's long-range shot was parried by the busy Stijnen and the scoreline remained the same heading into the interval.

Like in the opening 45 minutes, Valencia were quick out of the blocks following the re-start and Stijnen was again made to earn his pay with three key saves.

The first time saw him deny Villa following a brilliant mazy run by the Spain ace, and then the visiting custodian needed to produce a vital double stop to keep out a deflected effort from Mata before blocking Pablo's follow-up.

Again Brugge battled back though, and both sides created some great chances in the final 11 minutes of normal time.

Valencia goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez did superbly to keep out shots from Perisic and Wesley Sonck, while Stijnen was again tested by Villa as the 90 minutes finished with the home side still leading 1-0, sending the match to extra time.

For the third successive time, Valencia started the new period on the front foot and Pablo brought a brilliant one-handed save out of Stijnen in the 95th minute.

However, Pablo was not to be denied moments later as he netted Valencia's second goal, skipping past a Brugge defender just outside the area before drilling a low shot into the far corner past a motionless Stijnen.

It was all Valencia after that, but a mixture of poor finishing, desperate defending and brilliant goalkeeping saw Pablo (twice), Banega, Mata and Joaquin all thwarted to leave Unai Emery's men facing a nervy finale.

Pablo finally settled all concerns in the 117th minute though when he rounded Stijnen to slot home Valencia's third, and in the process securing a last-16 clash with last season's UEFA Cup runners-up Werder Bremen.

Juventus 0-0 Ajax

Juventus held Ajax to a goalless draw at the Stadio Olimpico to complete a 2-1 aggregate victory.

The Old Lady stood firm as Italy's only representatives in the Europa League and the home side came the closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half. Mohamed Sissoko hit the post with a header, but they did not need a goal to progress to the last 16.

Ajax lacked incision in attack as they failed to trouble the Juve goalkeeper Alex Manninger.

Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio sent in an early warning for Ajax, but his 22-yard shot was saved easily by Maarten Stekelenburg.

At the other end, Marko Pantelic copied him from a greater distance, but with the same outcome.

Juve goalkeeper Manninger, replacing the injured Gianluigi Buffon, was quick off his line to thwart Miralem Sulejmani before Juve began setting the tone of the game with a succession of dangerous corners.

Sissoko hit the post from an Alessandro Del Piero left-wing corner in the 17th minute before Giorgio Chiellini and Nicola Legrottaglie had headers cleared off the line by Siem de Jong and Christian Eriksen respectively from two more Del Piero set-pieces.

And at the end of the first half, Sissoko had his appeals for a penalty waved away by referee Laurent Duhamel when he fell under the challenge of Demy de Zeeuw.

A good combination between Pantelic and Sulejmani early in the second half signalled Ajax's intentions and the former headed a corner over the crossbar from six yards out in the 51st minute as the Dutch team started to raise their game.

Juve responded with Diego starting to get more of the possession and his free-kick in the 67th minute was a gift for Del Piero or David Trezeguet, but the pair got in each other's way and the chance was lost.

Juve coach Alberto Zaccheroni brought Mauro Camoranesi onto the field for the final 20 minutes, but Diego, who had just started to impose himself on the game, was far from happy with his coach's decision to withdraw him.

He headed straight down the tunnel without even exchanging glances with his coach.

Ajax attempted a late assault with substitute Urby Emanuelson causing a bit of confusion in the Juve defence, but Manninger was not tested, not even by Emanuelson's volley which missed his far post by several feet.

Salzburg 0-0 Standard Liege

Standard Liege sealed their place in the Europa League's last 16 with a drab goalless draw to win 3-2 on aggregate.

Salzburg threatened only sporadically and were largely restricted to long-range shots and set-pieces.

Standard also showed limited attacking inclination, but did force a handful of saves from home keeper Eddie Gustafsson as they advanced to a clash with Panathinaikos, who saw off Roma with back-to-back 3-2 victories.

Marc Janko's shot, which was held by Standard keeper Sinan Bolat, was the only effort on goal in an uninspiring first quarter.

The only other incident of note during that period came when visiting midfielder Axel Witsel, something of a cause celebre due to past disciplinary transgressions, was booked for fouling Andreas Ulmer.

Barry Opdam shot over from range for the hosts before the match belatedly came to life from the half-hour mark.

Dusan Svento's two long-range efforts were kept out by first Victor Ramos' block and then Bolat's save, before Janko headed over from Simon Cziommer's cross.

Standard finally managed a shot in anger when Milan Jovanovic, reported to be joining Liverpool in the summer, warmed Gustafsson's hands from 25 yards.

The keeper saved a free-kick from the same player after Ibrahim Sekagya fouled Dieudonne Mbokani, and he also kept out Steven Defour's header as the Belgians began to make their presence felt.

Mbokani headed Defour's free-kick over the bar before Cziommer was yellow-carded in stoppage time.

Sekagya followed him into the book after bringing down Mbokani as the second half started just as poorly as the first.

Benjamin Nicaise shot wide from Defour's corner before Roman Wallner, a substitute for Cziommer, headed Christoph Leitgeb's cross wide at the other end.

Wallner fired a free-kick wide after Nicaise fouled Leitgeb and Ulmer was also off target from distance before Witsel shot wide for Standard.

Salzburg substitute Alexander Zickler put a difficult header wide and Sekagya blocked Mbokani's goalbound effort.

And when the increasingly influential Leitgeb shot wide in injury time, Salzburg's chance of progressing was gone - though there was still time for substitute Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez to earn a yellow card for fouling the midfielder.

Fenerbahce 1-1 Lille

Lille reached the last 16 of the Europa League as Adil Rami's header proved the difference against Fenerbahce.

The Turkish giants had looked set to progress once Emre's strike had given them the advantage on away goals, but the Ligue 1 side applied plenty of pressure and were finally rewarded with five minutes to go.

Rami netted from close range to secure a last-16 clash with Liverpool.

Lille were the first to threaten when Pierre-Alain Frau volleyed over in the 16th minute and Emre tried his luck for the home side with a right-foot shot which also cleared the crossbar.

Ludovic Obraniak fired wide from 20 yards before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 29th minute when his right-footed curler smashed against the bar.

Five minutes later Fener went ahead in the tie when Alex's inswinging corner from the left found Emre, and from 12 yards the former Newcastle man curled the ball past Mickael Landreau.

The Lille goalkeeper kept out a testing drive from Spanish striker Daniel Guiza in the 39th minute and managed to parry away Alex's header from a Guiza cross five minutes later.

The French side almost drew level in first-half injury time as Obraniak unleashed a fantastic shot which Volkan Demirel did well to punch away.

The Fenerbahce goalkeeper was called into action five minutes into the second period, holding on to a right-foot volley from Aubameyang.

Lille had not given up hope of swinging the tie back in their favour and Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard drew another smart stop from Volkan.

The goal they craved finally came in the 86th minute when Obraniak crossed from the left and Rami headed home from six yards.

Brazilian defender Bilica had one last chance for Fenerbahce in the third minute of stoppage time but his left-foot shot was wide of Landreau's goal.

Hapoel Tel-Aviv 0-0 Rubin Kazan

Rubin Kazan were given no cause for alarm in a second-leg stroll to earn a 3-0 aggregate victory over Hapoel Tel-Aviv and a Europa League last-16 clash with Wolfsburg.

Having all but sealed their passage in the first leg, during which Aleksandr Bukharov scored twice and Sergei Semak also found the target, Rubin were content to sit back in Tel-Aviv.

Hapoel struggled to muster a meaningful effort on target as they limply exited the competition, but Rubin will be required to step up a gear in the next round against a Wolfsburg side who thrashed Villarreal.

The first-leg win ended a run of four home draws in European competition for Rubin, including matches against European heavyweights Barcelona and Inter Milan.

The Russian champions dropped into the Europa League despite also beating Barcelona in the Nou Camp in their Champions League group match, while Hapoel reached the knockout stages of the secondary club competition by finishing top of a pool which included Hamburg and Celtic.

But the visitors were not required to reach anything like the standards they set in Barcelona on their visit to Israel.

Hapoel, lacklustre in the first leg, showed little urgency in the first half of the second despite needing an early goal to have any realistic hope of overturning the deficit.

Gonzalez Cesar Navas' foul on Itay Shechter earned the Israeli's a free-kick on the right, but Douglas could only head over from six yards after 17 minutes.

Sergei Ryzhikov made a comfortable save from Gil Vermouth after 21 minutes, with the Hapoel midfielder shooting straight at the visiting stopper from 12 yards.

Shechter also failed to trouble Ryzhikov from similar range in the second minute of the second half, before Bukharov had the visitors' first shot of the evening at the other end, curling a right-footed effort wide from 12 yards.

Shechter shot over from long range after 78 minutes and two minutes later Eran Zahavi dragged a weak shot wide from the edge of the area.

A weak shot by Alan Kasaev from 18 yards was caught by Vincent Enyeama on one of the visitors' few forays forward as they progressed with ease.

Wolfsburg 4-1 Villarreal

Wolfsburg carried their improved form into Europe as three first-half goals dumped Villarreal out of the Europa League.

The Bundesliga champions have struggled in their title defence this season but beat Schalke at the weekend and tonight built on their 2-2 first-leg draw to set up a last-16 clash with Russia's Rubin Kazan.

They were two up inside 14 minutes thanks to Edin Dzeko's strike and an own goal from Angel Lopez. Joan Capdevila pulled one back but Christian Gentner struck a third and Grafite made sure in the 64th minute.

Villarreal knew they needed to score after conceding two away goals last week but it was the hosts who were quicker out of the blocks, Marcel Schafer testing Diego Lopez with a shot from the edge of the area.

The Spaniards countered and went close twice in a matter of seconds when Marcos Senna's vicious effort forced Marwin Hitz to push the ball back out into the area only for Nilmar to put the rebound wide.

Wolfsburg broke quickly and, crucially, they made it count. Grafite drew a save from Lopez and then headed wide from the corner but they would not be denied and Dzeko found the top corner from the edge of the area with nine minutes gone.

The Germans' place in the last 16 looked safe only five minutes later when Angel turned the ball into his own net.

Angel then saved his team with a timely clearance as Zvjezdan Misimovic looked to make it three and in the 25th minute the overworked Lopez kept Villarreal's faint hopes alive with a double save from Dzeko.

Gentner again swung in a good cross and Dzeko's shot was saved at point-blank range by the visiting stopper. The resulting corner from Misimovic picked out the head of the striker but again Lopez was up to the task.

Villarreal looked shell-shocked but, against the run of play, they were back in it on the half-hour mark when Senna's corner picked out Capdevila for a thumping header.

Grafite could have restored the two-goal advantage but missed the target from close range while Senna nearly squared things on the night and on aggregate with a brilliant 25-yard free-kick that was superbly tipped round the post by Hitz.

Then, four minutes before half-time, the hosts grabbed a third when Dzeko set up the busy Gentner for a simple finish.

Villarreal coach Juan Carlos Garrido reacted by throwing on Mateo Musacchio and Joseba Llorente at the start of the second half, and the latter almost pulled the visitors back into it with a close-range header from Senna's corner that went wide.

But all hope was extinguished by the lively Grafite 64 minutes in when he volleyed in Misimovic's cross to make it 4-1.

Hitz was determined not to concede again and he pulled off another impressive save from Nilmar while the game ended with Misimovic hitting a post.

Werder Bremen 4-1 FC Twente

A Claudio Pizarro hat-trick sent Werder Bremen into the last 16 of the Europa League at the expense of FC Twente.

A blistering start had Bremen three up inside half an hour thanks to goals from Pizarro (two) and Naldo, but Luuk de Jong pulled one back to give the visitors - who held a 1-0 lead from the first leg - hope of an unlikely comeback.

Bryan Ruiz missed a golden chance to put Twente ahead on away goals - hitting the post when through on goal - and instead Pizarro's third a minute later finished them off.

Bremen, last season's beaten finalists in the UEFA Cup, wasted little time in wiping out their first-leg deficit.

Thomas Schaaf's men levelled the aggregate scores in the 15th minute as Mesut Ozil picked out Hugo Almeida, who played the ball in from the left and Pizarro stroked it home.

The Peruvian struck a second five minutes later, Ozil's one-two with Marko Marin unlocking the Twente defence before the Germany midfielder set up Pizarro to finish into the right corner from 15 yards.

Almeida then fired a shot against a post as Bremen threatened to run riot.

Douglas had Twente's first sight of goal in the 24th minute, heading over from a Kenneth Perez corner, but things got even worse for Steve McClaren's men three minutes later.

Pizarro this time turned provider for Naldo - Bremen's scorer in last year's final - who let Twente keeper Sander Boschker commit himself and then netted coolly.

It was starting to look like a question of how many Bremen would score, yet in the 33rd minute Twente were back in it.

Ruiz's cross picked out De Jong and the teenager headed home.

Twente were on the back foot again before the break, though, Boschker parrying Ozil's free-kick from the right.

And the influential Ozil was involved again 13 minutes into the second half as Pizarro completed his treble.

A minute after Ruiz had fired against the post when all alone in front of keeper Christian Vander, Ozil played a fine pass into the path of Pizarro and, even though Boschker got hands to his shot, he could not stop it crossing the line.

Ruiz sent a near-post header wide as spirited Twente looked for another lifeline, but Bremen avoided a nervous finish.

Almeida could have made it even more comfortable for the Germans but his header from Pizarro's cross with 17 minutes to go was superbly saved by Boschker.

Galatasaray 1-2 Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid stunned Turkish giants Galatasaray at the Ali Sami Yen stadium to progress through to the last 16 of the Europa League.

Substitute Diego Forlan struck a last-gasp winner for the Spanish side.

Forlan had started the game on the bench but he was called into action at the end of the first half when Sergio Aguero was forced off with a facial injury, and the Uruguayan ended up being his side's hero.

He struck in the 90th minute just as the tie looked set to go to extra time with the two sides locked at 1-1 - the same scoreline from the first leg.

Earlier, Kader Keita had quickly cancelled out Simao Sabrosa's 62nd-minute opener for Atletico, before Galatasaray were reduced to 10 men in the 80th minute when Caner Erkin was sent off.

Atletico had looked to have wasted their chance after dominating the first leg at the Vicente Calderon before conceding a late equaliser to Keita, but Quique Sanchez Flores' side recovered from that setback in perfect fashion tonight to set up a last-16 clash with either Everton or Sporting Lisbon.

Despite the blow of losing Aguero towards the end of a goalless first half, Atletico started the second period well and first-leg goalscorer Jose Antonio Reyes went within a whisker of putting his side ahead when he struck the woodwork.

That was in the 51st minute but Atletico only had to 12 more minutes to take the lead through their other winger, Simao.

Antonio Lopez's throw-in was headed on by Jose Manuel Jurado and Simao stole in to fire past former Atletico custodian Leo Franco in the home net.

Atletico's lead lasted just three minutes though before they were undone for the second time in successive matches by Keita.

Galatasaray captain Arda Turin's cross to the far post was perfect for Keita, and his header was too good for Sergio Asenjo.

That was a big blow for the Spanish side, but they received a boost in the 80th minute when Erkin was handed his marching orders after being shown a second yellow card.

Erkin's dismissal gave Atletico the upper hand and they made sure they took full advantage as Forlan fired home from inside the area to put the Primera Division side through to the next phase.

Anderlecht 4-0 Athletic Bilbao

Mbark Boussoufa enjoyed a starring role as Anderlecht breezed into the Europa League last 16 with a comfortable second-leg win over Athletic Bilbao.

La Liga outfit Athletic were left kicking themselves after only drawing 1-1 in the first leg at home and they were made to pay tonight as the Belgians moved through to face Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in the next round.

Goals by Romelu Lukaku, a Mikel San Jose own goal, Boussoufa and Jonathan Legear sealed their passage in impressive style as Joaquin Caparros' side limped out of the competition.

Less than two minutes in, San Jose was booked for a foul on Lukaku and moments later the Anderlecht man scored the opening goal.

After Mbark Boussoufa fed the ball in from the right, Lukaku seized on the opportunity and sent his left-footed shot from close range past Gorka Iraizoz.

Athletic's response was slow in coming but in the ninth minute Fran Yeste fired in a left-footed shot which went wide of the near post.

An incredibly scrappy opening was punctuated by a Boussoufa shot in the 23rd minute which Iraizoz saved comfortably.

The hosts' purple patch continued when Boussoufa's corner resulted in Cheikhou Kouyate having a shot which flew wide.

Two minutes later it was 2-0. Legear crossed the ball in and while no Anderlecht striker was on the end of it, San Jose managed to nod the ball into his own net.

After the remainder of the half petered out, the Belgians sealed their progression as the impressive Boussoufa headed home from six yards to make it 4-1 on aggregate.

The same man was involved again on the hour mark as he drilled a right-footed shot from close range only to see Iraizoz somehow tip it round the post.

The Basques' only response was a series of silly fouls before, in the 68th minute, Legear made it 4-0 on the night with a right-footed drive from the edge of the box.

Boussoufa unsuccessfully attempted a couple of efforts which both went off target while at the other end, Fernando Llorente headed over from close range.

Lucas Biglia smashed a long-range effort over the bar with five minutes to go and Jelle van Damme forced a save from Iraizoz as the hosts finished strongly with their visitors all but surrendering.