Zoltan Gera spoke of his immense pride on Thursday night after he scored the goal that sent Fulham into the UEFA Europa League Final.
The Hungarian pounced on a loose ball in the Hamburg penalty area with 14 minutes remaining to fire the Whites ahead for the first time and send Craven Cottage into an eruption of joy.
“I’m very happy, very proud and I can’t believe it at the moment that we’ll be playing in a European Final,” he enthused. “So I’ll enjoy the moment and then we’ll look ahead to winning the Final.”
The course of events ran anything but smoothly for Roy Hodgson’s side as the visitors took the lead midway through the first-half with a stunning Mladen Petric free-kick giving Hamburg the away goal advantage before the Whites had really even found their stride.
But once again Fulham’s belief and desire to succeed in the competition shone through as they staged an epic second-half comeback to seal their place in the final on May 12th.
“I think in the first-half we played well and had a few good chances, but Petric scored a wonderful free-kick,” assessed Gera. “At half-time we talked about the first-half and what we needed to do in the second, and I think the team showed we can play well and change the game, so I think we deserved to go through.”
And Fulham will face Atletico Madrid in that match after the Spaniards defeated Liverpool after extra time in the other semi-final, but the Hungarian explained that the identity of the opposition was of little relevance at the moment as he and his team-mates struggle to take in the magnitude of their achievement.
“To be honest, I didn't care if it was Atletico or Liverpool. Atletico will be a different style to an English team, yes, but whether or not that’s a good thing we will see after the final.
“It will be another tough game, but then Hamburg were a tough team, Juventus were a tough team, Wolfsburg were a tough team so we will see.
“But at the moment we can’t take in what we’ve done tonight. I think over the next few years we’ll be able to fully understand, but at the moment all I can tell you is that I’m happy with the supporters and very happy with the Club.”
To reach the final two it’s already been an incredible journey for the Whites who began their Europa League campaign back in July, and the hero of the hour was quick to extend praise to every one of his squad mates who has contributed along the way.
“I think the Club was very clever to sign very good players last summer and we have proved we have a very good squad in this cup. Lots of times players have come in and performed and you can see it’s not just been the same 11 that have played all the way.
“It’s been a squad achievement and everyone deserves credit. And as for the Manager, I can’t explain how good he is.”