Fulham 3 Bologna 1
(Fulham win 5-3 on agg)
Junichi Inamoto proved conclusively last night that he is more than just a walking advertising board in England when he single-handedly secured Fulham entry to their first senior European campaign.
Virtually ignored for a year at Arsenal, who seemed to view him merely as a means to boost their Far East profile, the Japan midfield player scored a hat-trick on his full debut for his new employers to bring them a deserved InterToto Cup final win and a place in the Uefa Cup.
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Fulham midfield star Junichi Inamoto scores hattrick to lift InterToto cup
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Arsène Wenger hardly lacked creative options at Highbury, but he may be questioning his decision to offload a player who impressed at the World Cup finals and who had performed well in his five substitute appearances for Fulham before his virtuoso display last night.
Inamoto confirmed afterwards that he would like to turn his year-long loan from Gamba Osaka into a permanent move and he may well have his wish granted.
It was the fifth successive match in which Fulham had scored at least two goals — after doing so just once in the preceding 16 games — and their newfound potency makes them a team to be avoided in the Uefa Cup draw on Friday. A stylish victory over a Bologna team that finished seventh in Serie A last season was acclaimed by a crowd of 13,756 at Loftus Road, almost three times the number that saw the visit of Sochaux in the previous round.
Having got rid of one Italian presence in Franco Baresi, dismissed from his advisory role last week, Fulham set about dispatching another, when Inamoto drove home in the twelfth minute after exchanging passes with Facundo Sava, but Bologna, described as cheats by Jean Tigana, the Fulham manager, for their exhibition of fouls and dives, equalised 11 minutes before the break when Tomas Locatelli’s shot was deflected in off Zat Knight.
Inamoto restored the lead when volleying home a loose ball from 20 yards and Fulham’s ambition to become the third English InterToto winners, after West Ham United and Aston Villa, was effectively realised in the fiftieth minute, when Luis Boa Morte’s cross from the left was laid off by Steve Marlet to Inamoto, who shot against Gianluca Pagliuca, the goalkeeper, but converted the rebound.
Fulham:
Van der Sar, Finnan, Brevett, Knight, Goma, Inamoto (Malbranque 72), Marlet (Saha 72), Legwinski, Sava, Davis (Collins 74), Boa Morte.
Subs Not Used: Taylor, Melville, Hayles, Ouaddou.
Booked: Legwinski, Finnan.
Goals: Inamoto 12, 47, 50.
Bologna:
Pagliuca, Zaccardo, Olive, Castellini, Nervo, Colucci, Cruz, Signori (Bellucci 61), Falcone, Locatelli (Frara 78), Paramatti (Smit 78).
Subs Not Used: Coppola, Gamberini, Goretti, Meghni.
Booked: Olive, Nervo, Colucci.
Goals: Locatelli 34.
Agg (5-3)
Referee: M Busacca (Switzerland). Att: 13,756