History is in the making on Thursday evening at London Stadium as West Ham United prepare for the fifth European Competition Quarter Final in their history.
Bobby Moore captained the Hammers in 1965 when they faced Lausanne from Switzerland at Upton Park in the first ever European Quarter-Final in their history, which they won 4-3 with two goals from Brian Dear, after winning the first leg 2-1 away.
Bobby Moore was back again with his West Ham side in 1966, as the holders of the trophy, when they faced Magdeburg of East Germany in the quarter final first leg, and like tonight it was at home. They won that game 1-0 with a goal from Johnny Byrne, and then drew the away fixture 1-1 to progress to the semi-final for the second year in succession. Bobby Moore would lift the World Cup for England a few months later.
It was another ten years before West Ham progressed to another European quarter-final. This time they were captained in 1976 by the legendary Billy Bonds. West Ham were drawn against the Dutch Cup Winners Den Haag, and although Hammers lost the first leg in Holland 4-2, they won the return leg at Upton Park 3-1 on a memorable night under the floodlights with goals from Alan Taylor, Frank Lampard and Bonds himself, and West Ham went through to the semi-finals on the away goals rule. West Ham were back again in the quarter-finals five years later led once more by Billy Bonds. In the first leg they faced a Russian side Dynamo Tblisi who were too strong for them in the first game at Upton Park, running out 4-1 winners on the night, and although West Ham beat Tblisi 1-0 in the return leg, and were only the third side to win there in European competition in six years, they went out of the competition that night, 4-2 on aggregate.
The away goals rule applies no longer, but tonight, forty-one years later, Declan Rice will become only the third West Ham captain ever to lead his side out to a European Competition Quarter Final. The opposition tonight is Lyon, the team from the capital city of the Auvergne, a south eastern French city close to the Swiss and Italian borders. Lyon qualified for tonight’s game by beating FC Porto of Portugal 2-1 over two legs, drawing 1-1 at home after winning the away leg 1-0.
Whatever happens tonight, history will have been made for Declan Rice and his West Ham United team, as both sides fight for the right to play Eintracht Frankfurt or Barcelona in the semi-finals later this month.
Come On You Irons!
