Fulham star Zoltan Gera believes his side’s controversial weekend break could prove the decisive factor as they aim to continue their Europa League fairytale against Hamburg tonight.
Cottagers boss Roy Hodgson risked the wrath of the Premier League when he rested nine first-team players for Sunday’s game at Everton ahead of the semi-final second leg at Craven Cottage.
West Ham complained to the Premier League when Hodgson made a similar selection for a loss at Hull before his team’s quarter-final against Wolfsburg.
Hungary midfielder Gera, however, insists Hodgson’s decision will ensure the team, who drew 0-0 in Germany in the first leg, are perfectly prepared as they try to set up a final clash with Liverpool or Atletico Madrid.
“I would be lying if I said I didn’t like the rest, as the past weeks have been very tough,” Gera said. “All the games have been very speedy and I needed to recover well during the weekend, especially after our long journeys.”
Despite having to make an 18-hour road trip to Hamburg, after their flight was grounded by the volcanic ash cloud over Europe, Hodgson’s team coped admirably with the draining journey and delivered a defensive masterclass in the Nordbank Arena.
They shut out Hamburg even though the hosts dominated for long periods, but Gera hopes their failure to score an away goal won’t prove costly as a score-draw in the return would mean the Germans reach the final.
“Our goalless draw is not the best omen, because so far we have scored on all of our away games in Europe,” Gera said. “Now, after the goalless draw, we have to win on home soil. If we don’t win, then we just can go through with penalties. Of course I’d accept this if it meant that we could go into the final.”
That result was just the latest heroic effort by the Cottagers in a European campaign that has included wins over holders Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus and German champions Wolfsburg.
Now Fulham, who have never won a major honor are on the verge of the greatest achievement in the club’s 131-year history.
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He