VAPID VIENNA
Rapid Wien 0 West Ham 2
Inspired by the Joy of Genk, I had booked an unlikely three country journey to this game, travelling from London Heathrow to Zurich and on to Vienna, returning later to London Heathrow via Munich, not too long after the Munich Beer Festival. I had also secured a neutral end ticket for the game via my friend John, who had elected not to go for health reasons, and had a reserved hotel room into the bargain at which I would be staying for two nights because of my spaced out flights.
Then came the travelling fans ban. For two canisters set off at the Genk game, West Ham would now not be allowed by UEFA to sell tickets to their own fans. No worry for the moment, despite the ludicrously unfair judgement from UEFA, as my ticket was ‘neutral’. I would still be able to enjoy the sights and delights of Vienna, the coffee shops with their custard cakes and the odd schnitzel, maybe even another visit to the Sigmund Freud Museum.
Then came The Covid. Get out of that one. Only allowed on the streets if you are exercising, going to work or performing essential tasks. What could be more essential than witnessing the latest chapter of West Ham are Massive (Everywhere They Go)? Anything bar this game it would seem.
So I decided to get my money back for the hotel, the ticket for the game and, finally, the flights. All that setting up and all that dismantling, doubly disappointing in the light of our first away defeat at Wolverhampton the weekend before, which I also went to.
Weirdly, this is West Ham’s first game behind closed doors since the end of last season’s home defeat against Everton in early May when Hammers’ Champions League place finally evaporated. I have the pleasure of BT’s Adam Southerton and his co-commentator ex-Leeds (254 goals in two spells) and England striker Lucy Ward. A magnificent strike rate, but rather prosaic on the mike. Still light years ahead of Adam Southerton who reads paragraphs of pre-prepared notes throughout the game for each of the players, none of which improves the experience of watching the game.
Nikola Vlašić, making a rare start for the Hammers, plays well, and engineers the first goal with a hovering cross towards the centre of the goal which Yarmolenko rises highest to meet with his head to lever the ball gently over Paul Gartler and give West Ham a lead five minutes before half-time. This is doubled in first half injury time when Noble finds Yarmolenko in the area with a neat reverse through ball, and the Ukrainian striker is felled by Maximilian Hofmann. Noble steps up to power the penalty kick past Gartler, and Hammers take a decent lead into the half time break.
The second half sees another couple of chances wasted by the nippy but ultimately profligate Bowen, and a delightful cameo by debutant striker Sonny Perkins, who almost scores with a late header from Coufal’s superb cross…
but it remains an excellent all-round performance that secures Hammers a quarter-final Europa League place in March 2022. In effect, four matches from the final in Seville, in south-west Spain.
13 Alphonse Areola, 5 Vladimir Coufal, 15 Craig Dawson, 23 Issa Diop, 26 Arthur Masuaku, 28 Tomas Soucek, 16 Mark Noble (C), 10 Manuel Lanzini, 11 Nikola Vlašić, 20 Jarrod Bowen, 7 Andriy Yarmolenko
Substitutes: 8 Pablo Fornals, 22 Saïd Benrahma, 24 Ryan Fredericks, 33 Alex Kral, 64 Sonny Perkins
Goalscorers: Andriy Yarmolenko, Mark Noble (penalty)
