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Atletico Madrid's players throw coach Quique Sanchez Flores in the air as they celebrate winning their Europa League final match against Fulham in Hamburg, May 12, 2010. [Photo/Agencies] |
After the equaliser from Davies came almost immediately the game drifted a little, as both teams became more cautious.
Fulham had their best spell at the start of the second half but rarely threatened Atletico's cool 19-year-old keeper David de Gea.
The second half fizzled out as the drizzle returned. Still Aguero looked the man most likely to create something out of nothing and so it proved.
As the game stretched long into extra-time Aguero chased down yet another lost cause, beat his marker for the umpteenth time and sent in a low cross that Forlan diverted in expertly.
Fulham players slumped to the ground and barely managed to rouse themselves for a couple of hopeless punts in the general direction of the Atletico goal.
"Even if we'd had the legs to get back, we didn't have time," said Hodgson. "We had quite a few players running on empty."