Two goals from Karl-Heinz Riedle either side of half-time saw Fulham continue their preparations for the new campaign with a comfortable victory over India at a sunkissed Craven Cottage this afternoon.
Jean Tigana handed first Fulham starts to John Collins, who had dropped down a division after opting to reunite his former Monaco manager, and Luis Boa Morte, the former Arsenal winger, who had arrived on trial from Southampton ahead of the new season. The Indian national side, making their first appearance on English soil, almost stunned the home crowd by taking the lead in the second minute when striker I. M. Vijayan raced clear of the Fulham defence and rolled a cool finish past Maik Taylor – only for the assistant referee’s offside flag to cut short the celebrations.
India were defensively-minded after that early scare but their organisation and discipline made it difficult for Tigana’s team to break them down, especially in the warm temperatures. Riedle, no stranger to taking on international opposition during his long career, eventually broke the deadlock five minutes before half-time when he lashed in a low shot from fifteen yards after clever combination play between John Collins and Steve Finnan.
The Indians were a little more ambitious after the interval. Their best player, Baichung Bhutia, drove a free-kick fractionally wide of Taylor’s far post ten minutes into the second half, but Fulham carried the greater threat in the final third – even after Boa Morte had been replaced by youth team forward Luke Cornwall. Riedle’s second with ten minutes remaining removed any doubt about the result. The German veteran touched the ball past stranded goalkeeper Virender Singh after the Indian number one had misjudged a fine through ball from John Collins and Riedle rolled the ball into the unguarded net.
FULHAM (4-4-2): Taylor; Finnan, Brevett (W. Collins 72), Melville, Coleman; Davis, J. Collins, Clark, Betsy (Goldbaek 79); Riedle, Boa Morte (Cornwall 64). Subs (not used): Hahnemann, Symons, Neilson, Hayward, Trollope.
GOALS: Riedle (40, 80).
INDIA: V. Singh; P. Singh, Gawli, Fernandes, D. Singh, R. Singh, Alberto (Saini 45), Vijayan, Ancheri (Jamil 87), Bhutia, Mondal (Sanger 45).
ATTENDANCE: 5,773.
