Europa League: Forlan sends jubilant Atletico packing to Hamburg!

Liverpool 2 - 1 Atletico Madrid
(1-0) 43' Aquilani, (2-0) 94' Benayoun, (2-1) 102' Forlan

Heros. The lot of them. Atletico Madrid fought back from the brink of elimination  to plant themselves in next months Europa League final in Hamburg, where they will face Roy Hodgsons Fulham. After a season full of desparate lows and blissful highs, Atleti find themselves in two cup finals. Quite how they manage to mix dismal defeats at home with passionate performances on the continent is beyond the understanding of even the hardened footballing connoisseur. I guess you could say they do it their way. The Atleti way. Tonight, years of lost pride were recovered. They played with their hearts on their sleeves. Something the fans felt had been severely lacking in recent years. It came at the right time.

But boy did they suffer. Liverpool came out of the traps in predictably hungry mood, with David de Gea and his defence having to be on their toes as early as the first minute as Kuyt and Gerrard threatened. Strangely, as the first half unfolded and Liverpools initial bombardment subsided, the Atletico players broke into what was almost a swagger. Liverpool lacked the relentless intensity they would surely have offered had it been a Champions League tie. Atletico sensed that against a Liverpool side without Fernando Torres they were more than a match for their illustrious hosts. A daunting trip to Anfield? Or a walk in Stanley Park? It seemed to good to be true, so it felt inevitable when as halftime approached, Alberto Aquilani drew Liverpool level in the tie with an exquisite swivel and shot that creeped inside the post. Suddenly the Kop was in full voice and Atleti were back in a war of attrition. End to end football, with little end result, characterised the second half, as both teams looked to attack at every opportunity.

As the teams entered into extra time, you felt it was Liverpool more than Atleti that were happy to let the tie be decided from the spot. Out of nowhere, a sumptuous chipped pass set Yossi Benayoun free in the area, with the Israeli making no mistake with his drilled first time shot across De Gea. Now it was Liverpool who were minutes away from Hamburg. Yet even after this potentially fatal setback, Atletico refused to buckle. Instead, eight minutes later, Jose Antonio Reyes bolted in from the right, ghosted past Glen Johnson and lifted a pass towards Diego Forlan that was worthy of a trip to Hamburg in its own right. As you'd expect, Forlan made no mistake from 2 yards out. The former Man Utd striker hadn't had a sniff all night, but he timed his strike to perfection. It only remained for Atleti to survive a frantic finale which saw Liverpool throw bodies forward in a desparate search for that decisive third goal. It never came.

The final whistle sparked wild celebrations from a jubilant Atletico who reach a European final, 26 years after their appearance in the European Cup final of 1974. If they win it would be their first European trophy since 1962 when they won the European Cups Winners Cup. Only Fulham stand between Atletico and history. Even if they lose, those players have retained pride that has been lost over years of mediocrity. Atletico are a European force once more.