BECKONING IN THE SEMIS
West Ham 4 KAA Gent 1
Their execrable Premier League season is temporarily put on hold with Hammers four points off the drop zone after grabbing a home point at the weekend off Arsenal. Now there is a chance to reach the Conference League semi-final if they can beat Belgium’s KAA Gent. The 1-1 first leg draw means it’s not an impossible task, particularly in the light of the European form this season. But with West Ham, you just never know…
Eight minutes in and Gent are almost ahead in the tie when Orban and then Cuypers are just a toe poke away from Piatkowski’s brilliant far post cross with Areola a spectator. Then Zouma, jumping well, gets just a bit too far under Coufal’s far post cross, but it’s Gent who take the lead after Paquetá loses the ball in midfield, and Orban breaks free to set up Samoise, whose mistimed effort is bundled in at the far post by Cuypers. Aguerd handles the ball over the line but avoids the red card as his efforts to keep it out are fruitless.
Seven minutes later Benrahma sets up Emerson whose drive is beaten away by Davy Roef. Hammers then ratch it up a notch and are soon level, Bowen’s inswinging free kick flicked on to the far post by Paquetá, and Antonio levels powerfully from point blank range. Early in the second half Bowen lays a perfect ball into the path of Souček, but with the goal at his mercy he arrives off balance and hits the bar.
No matter. Coufal hits in a low cross which the stooping Joseph Okumu inadvertently handles, and referee Grinfeeld eventually points to the spot. For now it’s Paquetá who’s entrusted with the penalty which he stutter converts into the roof of the net to finally give West Ham the lead. Within a couple of minutes it’s three, Declan Rice taking the ball off Paquetá in his own half before running forty-five yards and slotting the ball expertly past Roef. Certainly the goal of the game, possibly even the competition.
It’s just left to Michail Antonio to complete his brace six minutes later which a powerful shot from the edge of the area that Roef can only help into the top corner of the net, and West Ham United have again confounded the critics with their Jekyll and Hyde season, easing their way into the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, a second successive European semi-final. It just remains to be seen whether they can muster the wherewithal to go one stage further this time.
13 Alphonse Areola, 33 Emerson, 4 Kurt Zouma, 27 Nayef Aguerd, 23 Thilo Kehrer, 41 Declan Rice (captain), 11 Lucas Paquetá, 28 Tomas Souček, 22 Saïd Benrahma, 20 Jarrod Bowen, 9 Michail Antonio
Substitutes: 12 Flynn Downes, 24 Thilo Kehrer, 18 Danny Ings, 8 Pablo Fornals, 14 Maxwel Cornet
Goalscorers: Michail Antonio (2), Lucas Paquetá, Declan Rice
