Eddie Johnson Nets As Fulham Defeat Melbourne

The American netted the second of the evening.

Jul 11, 2009 1:16:12 PM

More On : 

A strong Fulham line-up easily dispatched Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night to pick up a much-needed first win on Australian soil.

Previously the Cottagers had lost out to Gold Coast United, but with coach Roy Hodgson selecting a stronger line-up - including Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer - the hosts were unable to cope with the Premier League side

Don't Miss

The 20,000-strong crowd, though, willed their team on to a bright start, with Archie Thompson having a header scooped off the line amidst a barrage of early pressure that also saw his strike partner Danny Allsop come close to opening the scoring.

But noted hot-head Kevin Muscat conceded a penalty just after the half-hour mark, foul victim Andy Johnson firing past Mitchell Langerak from the spot.

After the break, substitute Eddie Johnson went one-on-one with Glen Moss to make it 2-0, and just six minutes later Erik Nevland capitalised on an error from Billy Celeski and good work from South Korean midfielder Seol Ki-Hyeon.

"It was a better performance, but tonight we played with what we considered our best line-up for 60 minutes," Fulham boss Hodgson said to AFP after the game.

"Melbourne were good, they were very competitive, created some good chances in the first half."

MELBOURNE VICTORY 0-3 FULHAM
0-1 Andy Johnson 33 (pen.)
0-2 Eddie Johnson 67'
0-3 Nevland 73'

Melbourne (4-4-2): Langerak (Moss 46); Kemp, Muscat, Vargas, Berger; Ward, Broxham, Hernandez, Pondeliak; Allsop, Thompson.

Fulham (4-4-2): Schwarzer (Stockdale 64); Pantsil (Briggs 78), Hughes, Baird, Kallio (Kelly 45); Gera (Stoor 74), Murphy (Saunders 78), Andranik (Leijer 78), Seol; Zamora (Nevland 64), A. Johnson (E. Johnson 64).

Steve Michaels, Goal.com

For more on American players playing in Europe visit Goal.com's Americans Abroad page.

Follow Goal.com on Twitter

Follow Goal.com on Facebook
 
play pause open close
Inside Goal.Com
  1. RIGG: Anelka struggling against the current in Shanghai RIGG: Anelka struggling against the current in Shanghai

    Nicolas Anelka went against the grain when he moved to Shanghai. Now he's finding that coaching and gelling tactically is like swimming against the tide.

  2. ROGERS: Bradley should command a bidding war among Serie A teams ROGERS: Bradley should command a bidding war among Serie A teams

    Chievo is currently shopping the American midfielder and several Italian clubs have shown interest.

  3. ISOLA: Neymar-led Brazil should be considered the 2014 WC favorite ISOLA: Neymar-led Brazil should be considered the 2014 WC favorite

    Neymar was brilliant as Brazil easily handled the United States with early World Cup preparations officially underway.

  4. LATHAM: Mexico using summer friendlies to build depth LATHAM: Mexico using summer friendlies to build depth

    With World Cup qualifying to begin in June, Mexico is using three U.S.-hosted friendlies to build squad depth.

  5. McCARTHY: Harrisburg springs its wildest Open Cup upset to date McCARTHY: Harrisburg springs its wildest Open Cup upset to date

    The City Islanders fought back from three goals down with nine minutes to play and won the game on penalty kicks in a stunning game on a wild night for the U.S. Open Cup.