With a courageous jump into the arms of his teammates, penalty hero Bernd Leno gave the starting signal for Fulham FC’s cup party.
“Semi-finals, let’s go!” wrote the happy German national soccer goalkeeper on Instagram a little later. It is also down to him that his Cottagers can dream of the first major title in the club’s history in the English League Cup.
“It was a big moment for Bernd when he kept us in the game,” praised team manager Marco Silva. Fulham were on the verge of elimination at Premier League rivals Everton FC when Leno saved Amadou Onana’s shot in the penalty shootout. In the end, the guests prevailed 7:6 in the shootout, after 90 minutes the score was 1:1 (0:1).
“We have achieved something that this club has never, ever, never achieved before,” enthused coach Silva. “We are happy, but we want more! We dream of Wembley.”
The final game will take place in the cathedral of English football on February 25th. Before that, Fulham has to survive the semi-finals, which will take place in two duels on the 9th/10th. and 23/24. will be held in January. In addition to Fulham, Chelsea FC and second division FC Middlesbrough are in the semi-finals, with the last ticket being played by Liverpool FC and West Ham United (9:00 p.m./DAZN).
Fulham’s greatest success is winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup (UI Cup) in 2002, and in 2010 the London club reached the final of the Europa League. There has only been one national final: in 1975 the FA Cup was 0-2 against city rivals West Ham United.