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Fulham through to knock-out stages
20:45, Dec 16 2009
Bobby Zamora continued his hot run of form as Fulham defied plunging temperatures in Basle to secure their place in the knock-out stages of the Europa League with a 3-2 victory.
Zamora, tipped last week by manager Roy Hodgson as just the kind of player England will need at the World Cup, capped a classical centre-forward's performance with two goals just before the interval.
Zoltan Gera made it 3-1 with a neat sidefooted finish but Basle, who had earlier profited from a dubious penalty, set up a nervous last few minutes with a late second from Marco Streller.
Bjarne Helge Riise, who supplied both crosses for Zamora's double strike just before the interval, set the tone in the first minute with a teasing ball that just evaded the on-rushing Jonathan Greening.
Zamora and Riise caused the Basle defence problems throughout the first half and they almost combined to open the scoring after 15 minutes. The Norway international launched one of his customary raids down the right but delayed his ball through to Zamora a fraction too long and the Fulham striker had strayed fractionally offside before driving the ball low into the corner.
Basle's centre-backs were struggling to contain Zamora's physicality and their creaking resistance snapped first. Fulham launched a swift counter-attack from a dubiously awarded free-kick, Riise swung a perfectly-weighted cross into space behind the Basle defence and Zamora threw himself at the ball to score from six yards.
Zamora then executed a text-book piece of centre-forward play, chesting the ball down for Riise to surge down the right before arriving at the far post to head Fulham into a two-goal lead at the interval.
Basle, who were unbeaten at home in Europe this season, began to build the pressure as Fulham sat deeper and they were gifted a route back into the game just after the hour with a highly dubious penalty. Substitute Federico Almerares skipped into the box and his cross struck Chris Smalling in the stomach - but on the advice of an assistant referee, Swedish official Stefan Johannesson awarded the penalty and Alexander Frei scored.
But Gera, another of those given his chance in Europe, soon sealed Fulham's victorious passage into the last 32. Clint Dempsey, who had just come on for Greening, sent Stephen Kelly clear down the left and pulled a low cross that Gera side-footed into the corner.
Basle's towering striker Marco Streller scored three minutes from time to set up a nervous finale but Fulham held out for a well-deserved victory.
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