The Europa League has a bad reputation as a poor version of the Champions League, but it’s provided some memorable stories over the years.
General view of the UEFA Europa League trophy before the match
For years, some of Europe’s greatest clubs have played in what is considered to be the continent’s second most prestigious competition – the Europa League. In recent history bigger sides like Chelsea have gone all the way and won the trophy, but a collection of smaller teams have also had an opportunity to shine on the European stage.
Two of those names include Fulham and Middlesbrough. With no real history as formidable forces in English football, the memorable runs that these two made in their respective Europa League adventures are still spoken about to this day with great fondness.
Fulham
Following the completion of a great escape under Roy Hodgson, Fulham achieved the unthinkable the following season in 2008/09 and finished seventh, therefore qualifying for a place in Europe. The Cottagers would have to battle through the qualifying stages, but the simple fact that they were in the competition was an achievement in itself.
After easing through qualifying and scraping past the play-off round 3-2 on aggregate, they were rewarded with a group of Roma, Basel and CSKA Sofia. The size of the task at hand was evident, but they didn’t let that deter them and they managed to progress through the group courtesy of a 3-2 away victory in Switzerland.
England manager Roy Hodgson
Things didn’t get any easier from there as Fulham just about edged past Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in the round of 32 before being drawn against Italian giants Juventus. The first leg went about as well as expected, with the Old Lady running out 3-1 winners. With their backs against the wall, Hodgson and company managed to orchestrate a phenomenal 4-1 victory at Craven Cottage to ensure their passage into the quarter-finals.
A comfortable 3-1 aggregate triumph over Wolfsburg followed as this unbelievable Cinderella story took Fulham all the way to the semi-finals. The two legs would be contested against Hamburg, whose stadium was set to host the actual final. After a goalless first encounter, two second half goals from Simon Davies and Zoltan Gera ensured that this underdog story would end with a European final appearance.
This unthinkable story came to an unfortunate end as they were defeated in the final by Atletico Madrid, with both goals coming from in-form striker Diego Forlan. Despite the loss, the nature of their journey throughout the tournament was so bewildering and inspiring that it’ll be remembered for years to come.
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough entered the competition for the second season running back in 2005 under a much different format for the previously named UEFA Cup. They began their campaign with a 2-0 aggregate victory over Skoda Xanthi which took them into the group stages. The way it worked was slightly different as there were five teams per group, with everyone playing four games to determine who qualified for the knockout rounds.
Three victories and one draw over sides like AZ Alkmaar and Zurich guaranteed their passage into the latter stages of the tournament. In both the round of 32 and the round of 16 Boro somehow managed to scrape through on away goals, losing the second leg against both Stuttgart and Roma. As bizarre as their success was, it was nothing compared to what was next.
Newcastle manager Steve McClaren looks dejected
After dispatching such highly regarded sides in the previous rounds, Basel seemed like a much simpler task for the Teessiders – however it turns out that wasn’t the case. A 2-0 first leg triumph for the Swiss side left Boro needing to make sure they didn’t concede at the Riverside in order to avoid the dreaded away goals.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what they did. An early strike from the visitors left them on the ropes, needing four goals to progress to the last four of the competition. A goal either side of half time from Mark Viduka gave them hope, before Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink popped up to make the last ten minutes very interesting. It took until injury time, but Massimo Maccarone struck the priceless goal that sent his side into the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup.
Astonishingly enough they weren’t done in terms of miraculous comebacks, as they found themselves 3-0 down on aggregate in the second leg against Steaua Bucharest. They knew fully well what they had to do, and against all the odds they pulled it off again through the heroics of Viduka, Chris Riggott and another last gasp winner from Massimo Maccarone.
Liverpool v Sevilla – UEFA Europa League Final
They had nothing to fear going into the final, but as was the case with Fulham there wasn’t a happy ending to the fairytale. Sevilla ran out 4-0 victors in what would prove to be the final match of Steve McClaren’s tenure at the club.
Despite both Fulham and Boro losing their respective finals, they both proved to the footballing world that heart and determination can take you a long way in this game.
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