West Ham left needing famous fightback to Keep final dream alive
It was never going to be straightforward for West Ham United, a club so accustomed to drama and turbulence, and it certainly will not be easy for them to extend the joyful European adventure of 2022. This first-leg defeat by a canny Eintracht Frankfurt side does not spell the end, but it does present a fearsomely tough challenge for David Moyes and his players.
Next week’s match in Germany has the potential to be one of the great nights in West Ham’s history. To be frank, it will have to be.
There are now no other options for West Ham, who unleashed the full might of their fanbase upon Frankfurt but found an irritatingly intelligent and organised obstacle in their path.
Goals from Ansgar Knauff and Daichi Kamada did the damage here, with Michail Antonio striking for West Ham in between. The fact that Knauff opened the scoring in the opening minute was an indication that all had not gone to plan for the home side, as was their subsequent inability to convert small openings into genuine chances after half-time.
Still, all is not lost. Not by any measure. West Ham showed they can hurt Frankfurt, striking the woodwork three times in total, and there was no sense of them being outclassed in this semi-final. On the balance of play they could easily have claimed a draw, and perhaps even more, although there were also reasons to be wary in the second leg.
What is clear is that West Ham will need to rediscover the same attacking spark they found in Lyon in the previous round. More decisiveness will be required in attack, where they were sloppy, and more thrust needed in midfield if they are to turn this around and create a night on par with some of the most famous in their history.
“We have a lot to do,” said Moyes. “We need to show more quality than we did tonight, especially in the final third when we had the moments to do so. We had some opportunities to make chances and I don’t think our creative players did enough when we got those opportunities.”
If all goes in West Ham’s favour in Germany, it might even be an occasion to match their last European semi-final. Nearly 50 years have passed since that famous victory, which also happened to be against Frankfurt, and many of the boys of 1976 were here to witness the rematch all these decades later.
One can only speculate as to what that generation made of the pre-match light show, flamethrowers and live DJ. These are very different times in this corner of the capital, where the mud of Upton Park has been replaced by the slick turf of the London Stadium, and West Ham have become a very different club.
Whether the more old-fashioned supporters liked it or not, the prematch activity certainly had the desired effect on the atmosphere.
This was a proper party, with fans dancing in the stands before a ball had been struck, and the travelling
Frankfurt supporters were drowned out long before kick-off.
The occasion, the build-up, the setting sun: it all contributed to a night that felt special from the off, and perhaps that was why West Ham started so sluggishly. Were they overwhelmed? Were they caught up in the emotion? Either way, the clock read 48 seconds when Frankfurt took the lead.
Rarely has so much enthusiasm drained so quickly from a stadium. It was a classic punch to the gut, a moment for everyone to recoil and reassess. For West Ham it was also a reminder that Frankfurt are formidable opponents, even if they are only ninth in the Bundesliga.
Rafael Borre’s cross found Knauff, who overpowered Pablo Fornals and headed home.
“The early goal probably rocked everyone,” said Moyes. “We made two or three mistakes,” said Tomas Soucek. “But we reacted very well from this moment.”
West Ham fought back, with Jarrod Bowen striking the foot of the post before Antonio produced his first goal since early March. The returning Kurt Zouma – back from injury far earlier than expected – headed across goal towards the back post where West Ham’s ever-reliable striker was waiting with an outstretched leg.
For all West Ham’s progress in the game there remained a simmering threat from the visitors, and Frankfurt regained their lead shortly after the break. Jesper Lindstrom found Djibril Sow, slicing through midfield, and Kamada tapped in the rebound.
The running power of Bowen – who hit the bar with a spectacular bicycle kick in added time – meant West Ham were always in this game, even if they did not dominate it, and substitute Said Benrahma also launched a shot against the post as they pushed forward.
The risk they took was to leave
space on the counter-attack, which was a dangerous move: Kamada struck the same post as Bowen when he ran through the home side’s midfield.
More of these gambles will be needed in the second leg, though, when there will be nothing to lose but so much for West Ham to gain.