THE £134m GOAL ROCKS WEMBLEY
Zamora euphoria after late QPR winner puts Harry back in big time
AGEING, written off, derided. It just had to be Bobby Zamora who scored the £134million goal that took QPR back into the Premier League and quite probably saved them from financial ruin.
Having been dominated by Steve McClaren’s youthful and energetic Derby County for 89 minutes and 50 seconds, rickety old QPR and their 33-year-old centre-forward only needed one late glimpse of goal to separate the men from the boys.
Derby skipper Richard Keogh mistimed a clearance straight to the injuryprone striker and he returned it in a flash into the top corner of the net.
Harry Redknapp was besieged on the touchline, owner Tony Fernandes looked as if he had escaped a heart attack. QPR were back in the promised land, despite playing the majority of the second half with only 10 men following Gary O’Neil’s red card. Extraordinary scenes.
For two years Rangers and Fernandes have rightly received savage criticism as a squad paid more than Borussia Dortmund were relegated, then failed to ignite the Championship.
Zamora was one of the poster boys for underachievement. He went into yesterday’s showpiece at Wembley having scored four goals in 20 months, although in mitigation he missed four months of this season recovering from a knee operation.
And yet, in a split-second, he showed the quality that once won him a couple of England caps and persuaded QPR to spend £6million on him at the start of 2012. His left-footed finish left Derby goalkeeper Lee Grant clutching thin air. Keogh was inconsolable, and possibly will be all summer.
Zamora is one of 15 players out of contract at Loftus Road this season. It may turn out to be his last act in a Hoops shirt but even if that is the case his place in club history is assured. Their latest financial figures reported a loss of £65m. Even by the unreal standards of the Championship play-off final, Rangers needed this result to go their way.
‘I don’t know how we did it,’ admitted a relieved and stunned Redknapp. ‘It was an amazing finish. We were hanging on and looking to get to extra-time. That was the only hope I could see with 10 men. I wanted to keep it tight and get to penalties, I’d be lying if I said otherwise. I was surprised to score but when Bobby’s fit, he’s an excellent player.
‘It was just a backs-to-the-wall job before then. I think we defended well with 10 men. Robert Green, Richard Dunne and Nedum Onouha all defended for their lives.’
Redknapp embraced Fernandes afterwards. For both men, Zamora’s stike has saved them from different types of oblivion.
Derby had finished the regular season in third place, five points ahead of Rangers, and were the better team at Wembley foiled repeatedly by Green, whose own career is back on the up after his horrible World Cup in 2010.
‘Football is a cruel game,’ said McClaren, who had replaced Nigel Clough in September when the club were 14th. ‘We controlled the game, but one lapse at the end and we lose. I’m so proud of the players but it is going to take weeks to recover. We stayed on the field afterwards to applaud QPR and watch them celebrate and pick up the cup and go into the Premier League.
‘We don’t want that kind of hurt again, because it does hurt. We’ll try to go straight up next time. But if this team stick together, we will get stronger.’
Despite a heavy downpour as the teams came out, McClaren did not emerge with the brolly he infamously used on his previous Wembley appearance as England manager in 2007.
The first half was largely forgettable with Lee Mason rightly waving away a Derby penalty appeal when Will Hughes jumped over Dunne the only moment of controversy. But as the sun peeped out at the start of the second half, the serious action began, nearly all of it in and around the QPR area.
Green made great saves from Jamie Ward, Craig Bryson and Simon Dawkins. Ward’s goalbound shot was blocked by his own player, Chris Martin, as Derby laid siege to the goal.
Derby thought they had cracked it after an hour. Johnny Russell nicked the ball past Dunne and when his heels were clipped by O’Neil, the Rangers man went after discussion between Mason and his assistant.
County swarmed forward but Rangers would not crack. McClaren must have rued the good work he did at the start of the season as QPR’s defensive coach before moving to Derby.
Rangers could at least count on bags of knowhow, with Joey Barton, sub Karl Henry and Dunne digging in.
Extra-time looked inevitable until, with the seconds ticking down, Rangers won a couple of cheap throw-ins, Zamora loitered with intent and when the chance came, he changed history.