Frankfurt pip West Ham to take control in Europa League semi-final
Eintracht Frankfurt seized control of their Europa League semi-final against West Ham as Japan midfielder Daichi Kamada inspired a 2-1 win in the first leg on Thursday.
Oliver Glasner’s side arrived at the London Stadium as underdogs against a West Ham team enjoying their best season for years.
But Ansgar Knauff gave Frankfurt the perfect start with a goal ater just 49 seconds.
Michail Antonio equalised with his first goal in 11 matches, but Kamada bagged the winner with a close-range finish in the second half.
Frankfurthavestruggledattimesinthebundesliga thisseason,savingtheirbestperformancesforeurope.
Frankfurt, whose only major European title came in the 1980 UEFA Cup, can finish the job when they host the second leg on May 5. Back in 1976, West Ham defeated Frankfurt 4-3 on aggregate in the European Cup Winners’ Cup semi-finals.
Hoping to reach their first major European final since then, West Ham will have to stage an impressive escape act in Frankfurt to emulate that success.
FRANKFURT’S FAST START: In their first semifinal since the 2014 League Cup, West Ham were breached ater less than a minute.
Rafael Borre was given far too much time and space on the edge of the area and he ruthlessly exploited West Ham’s hesitancy.
Borre’s pin-point cross arrowed toward the far post, where Knauff got behind the dozing Pablo Fornals and thumped a powerful header past Alphonse Areola from close range. Moyes gestured to his players to calm down as passes went astray in their anxiety to get back into the tie.
Jarrod Bowen should have eased West Ham’s nerveswhenhesurgedontofornals’defence-spliting pass, but the winger was let holding his head in frustration ater his low strike hit the post.
Undeterred by their nightmare start, West Ham began to turn the screw and Antonio ensured their pressure paid off with the 21st-minute equaliser.
Kurtzoumarosehighesttoheadmanuellanzini’s free-kick back across goal and Antonio pounced with a stretching volley from virtually on the line.
Butfrankfurtstruckwithasuperblycratedmove 10 minutes into the second half. A swit exchange of passes cut through the West Ham defence and, although Djibril Sow’s shot was saved by Areola, Kamada was on hand to tap the rebound into the empty net despite the hosts’ appeals for offside.
Moyes sent on Said Benrahma in a bid to spark his side and the Algerian was close to equalising with a long-range curler that clipped the woodwork.
Chopped down by Declan Rice moments earlier, Kamada almost exacted instant revenge, scampering clear for a shot that hit the far post.
Ansgar Knauff gave Frankfurt the perfect start with a goal ater just 49 seconds. Michail Antonio equalised with his first goal in 11 matches, but Kamada bagged the winner with a close-range finish in the second half
Instoppagetime,westhamstruckthewoodwork for the third time as Bowen’s bicycle kick smashed down off the bar.
LEICESTER HOLD ROMA: Gianluca Mancini’s second-half own goal allowed Leicester City to draw 1-1 with Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday, while Feyenoord got the beter of Marseille in a five-goal thriller.
Feyenoord beat Marseille 3-2 in Roterdam, throwing away a two-goal lead before being gited what proved to be the winner on the night right at the start of the second half.
Mancini got the final touch midway through the second half as he tried to stop Ademola Lookman turning in a low ball driven into the six-yard box by Harvey Barnes.
That brought Leicester level in their first ever European semi-final ater Lorenzo Pellegrini had givenromaanearlyleadatthekingpowerstadium.
The tie, which pits Mourinho against Brendan Rodgers, his one-time protege on the coaching staff at Chelsea, is now poised ahead of next week’s return in Italy. Mourinho is hoping to add the new third-tier European trophy to his collection having won two Champions Leagues, a UEFA Cup and a Europa League during his managerial career, and Roma could not have asked for a beter start.