Fulham survive scare in nine-goal thriller
Fulham 5 Lincoln 4 (aet)
American striker Brian McBride pounced in the dying moments of extra-time to send Fulham into the Carling Cup third round following a night of high drama at Craven Cottage.
Chris Coleman’s side only narrowly avoided joining the growing list of Premiership clubs to crash out of the competition at the first hurdle while brave League Two outfit Lincoln returned home with their heads held high.
Fulham were cruising after Zesh Rehman and Heidar Helguson pounced in the space of four first-half minutes to open their Fulham accounts but Lincoln staged a stirring second-half fightback.
Obviously told by boss Keith Alexander to take the game to their Barclays Premiership opponents, they attacked with great zeal and were rewarded when Francis Green slashed the deficit.
A bizarre Moritz Volz own-goal, which will haunt the German right-back for years to come, combined with a string of magnificent saves from goalkeeper Alan Marriott sent the game into extra-time.
Quickfire goals from Liam Rosenior and Tomasz Radzinski appeared to have buried Lincoln’s brave challenge but Alexander’s side failed to give up and pulled one back through Scott Kerr as the match took a fresh twist, only for McBride to claim the winner.
Fulham suffered a raft of injuries during Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by West Ham which forced boss Coleman to name a completely different starting line-up tonight, borrowing heavily from his reserves.
Former France international Phillippe Christanval started in midfield and veteran centre-back Alain Goma returned after injury, but otherwise it was a young side containing six debutants.
But Fulham’s problems did not begin until Coleman began making substitutions with the introduction of first-team regulars Radzinski, Volz and McBride coinciding with the Cottagers’ demise.
There was certainly no sign of the drama to come early on as Australia international Ahmad Elrich fired a lethal pass across the face of goal which the onrushing Collins John and Helguson failed to meet by a matter of inches.
They went ahead in the 26th minute when John released Helguson down the right, allowing the Icelandic striker to cross to an unmarked Rehman who nodded home.
Marriott saved a powerful John shot and then made another great stop from the Dutchman moments later, but this time he palmed the ball into the path of Helguson who made no mistake from close range.
John tested the impressive Marriott four minutes after the break and then Ricardo Batista was forced to react to a marauding run from Maheta Molango whose well-struck shot found the arms of Fulham’s goalkeeper.
Lincoln looked a more energetic side in the early stages of the second half as Fulham saw several promising moves break down through poor communication.
Green caught the eye with a rapid break which eventually won a corner but Lincoln could do little with the set-piece as they continued to revel in their purple patch.
Coleman replaced defender Dean Leacock with Radzinski to give his side an extra attacking dimension but instead Fulham were caught cold in the 70th minute when Gary Birch charged through midfield and released Green, who rifled home with an unstoppable shot.
McBride, on for John, flashed high over the crossbar and then the American forward was denied by a terrific stop from the ever-alert Marriott as Fulham created a string of chances.
But Coleman’s side were left stunned when Lincoln equalised against the run of play thanks to a dreadful blunder by Volz who managed to walk a Green cross past Batista and into his own net.
It was Volz’s first touch of the game – he had just come on for Rehman – and Fulham would have slipped further behind had Francis Green not been kept out by the woodwork.
Marriott performed miracles once again, keeping out Radzinski in injury time as the ball hurtled towards the goal to send what had developed into a thrilling encounter into extra-time.
It took just two minutes for Fulham to regain the lead, Rosenior nodding in Adam Green’s corner, and then Radzinski doubled the lead with a clinical piece of finishing.
Lincoln were still not finished, however, with a Kerr free-kick curling beyond the increasingly disappointing Batista and when Marvin Robinson bundled home the equaliser, the visiting fans went wild.
But they were silenced in the dying moments when McBride nodded home a Green free-kick to bring down the curtain on a thrilling see-saw encounter.
| Related Stories: |
|
