Fulham’s Roy Hodgson on top of the world after beating Juventus

• ‘It is not going to get better than this’
• Hodgson hails astonishing comeback

Roy Hodgson said he could not recall such a recovery after Fulham upset the odds to beat Juventus. Photograph: Tonino Di Marco/EPA

Roy Hodgson could savour the completion of a remarkable journey, as Fulham staged perhaps the finest comeback of their history to advance themselves as a 21st century European force.The manager had recalled, on the eve of this Europa League last-16 second-leg fixture, how his team had been “as doomed as doomed could be” towards the end of the 2007-08 season. Yet their progress since they dodged relegation into the Championship has been eye-catching. Established in the Premier League’s top 10, they will also have a shot at Wembley in their FA Cup quarter-final replay against Tottenham next Wednesday.But here, on a pulsating night down by the Thames, Hodgson’s players etched their names into folklore. “We should just do a Rocky Marciano and retire now because it’s not going to get any better than this,” said Hodgson. “This must come close to the greatest night of the club’s history. On a personal note, I am not sure I can recall such a recovery. I am on top of the world.”Juventus, in their blinging gold away number, had brought their inimitable swagger to west London. Their starting line-up boasted four World Cup winners while there were two more on the substitutes’ bench. You can bet that Mohamed al-Fayed would not have prevented them from shopping at Harrods, as his security people had done to Shakhtar Donetsk’s players for the previous round.The sense of anticipation was palpable yet the main event surpassed all expectations. As Fulham burrowed even deeper into uncharted European territory, Juventus simply melted. It is hard to describe the Craven Cottage atmosphere as white hot. Or intimidating. Visiting supporters from West Ham United, for example, like to taunt their hosts with chants like “You only drink white wine” and “Does your butler know you’re here?” But the famous old stadium rocked to a raucous beat as Fulham shrugged off the early setback of David Trezeguet’s goal to run their visitors ragged.”The atmosphere was electric,” said Hodgson. “We could not have had a worse start and an uphill task became even more uphill. But I was fully aware that there were 89 minutes to go. By half-time, I thought we were looking good to win.” The sight of the great Fabio Cannavaro grasping desperately at Zoltan Gera to collect his 27th-minute red card summed up Juventus’s toils. Cannavaro, also badly at fault for Bobby Zamora’s goal, laughed when he saw the card’s colour.Rather like Internazionale at Chelsea on Tuesday night, Juventus pushed their licence to grapple to the limit: Fulham corners came to resemble WWE rumbles. But Cannavaro did not escape censure and nor did Jonathan Zebina in injury time, although his dismissal was the result of a more primal expression of frustration, a hack at Damien Duff.Zebina gave a single-fingered gesture to the Juventus fans as he walked off. “The referee was too strict,” said the Juventus manager Alberto Zaccheroni. “The Cannavaro sending-off played a part. Eleven versus eleven, I would not have expected us to be eliminated.”There was stardust up in the stands, not least in the shape of the actor Hugh Grant. He could enjoy four goals for his team and a funeral into the bargain. Gianluca Vialli, the ex-Juventus striker, numbered among the Italians present while Fabio Capello, who played and managed La Vecchia Signora, was there, too. The England manager cannot have failed to be impressed by Zamora who, with 16 goals and counting, has to be considered a wild card for inclusion in his World Cup squad.”Bob has played well enough this season to at least merit a mention,” said Hodgson. Fulham’s winner had been advertised as they peppered Antonio Chimenti’s goal but, when it came, it was worthy of beating any opposition. Clint Dempsey might never score a better one, a celebration of touch and vision. It provided the fitting finale to a night that Fulham will never forget. “Nine out of 10 times, a shot like that would not have made it,” Dempsey said. “But sometimes, you have to go for it. We’ve gone from relegation contenders to quarter-finalists in Europe. That’s life. Everything changes.”

( “The Guardian” )