Fulham manager Roy Hodgson was proud of his players despite going down to Spain's Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the Europa League final on Wednesday night.

The Cottagers' fairytale run in the competition ended at the final hurdle but Hodgson said his players should be able to hold their heads high even though they finished second best.

"We have to give them real credit but I thought we played well. It looked for all the world to be heading for penalties which is a bit of a lottery but we would have been happy to take that lottery," Hodgson told Five.

"I thought we looked comfortable for long periods of the second half and extra time.

"All through the season they have performed against the odds and pulled out performances.

"You can't be happy after any sort of defeat, even after extra time, but I don't have a word of criticism for the team."