SUPER GOAL
West Ham 0 Dinamo Zagreb 1
This is the dead rubber of the tournament’s Group H, with Zagreb needing just a draw to qualify in second place so long as Genk don’t beat Rapid Vienna 10-0. They have brought a bus load of fans, quite literally one bus load who might all have fitted on the upper deck with no one standing.
With barely four minutes on the clock and wearing number 99 on his shirt, Mislav Oršić hits an unstoppable curling shot standing almost exactly on Masuaku’s Saturday sweet spot past Areola, who hasn’t even laced his gloves yet.
This game might be seen as a last chance saloon opportunity for Yarmolenko to flex his international muscles before the transfer window whether in shop window or please keep me mode. As it happens, he looks like a guy who knows what it’s like to earn a wage that isn’t linked to performance.
Alex Král has always excited attention from the critics during his brief spell at West Ham. Tonight he only excites attention from the Zagreb back three and midfield who all seem to be on a regain possession road trip whenever he approaches them with the ball. Out of all the youngsters Ashby and Longelo impress most, not giving too much away throughout the game.
The early goal seems to have taken the sting out of the game and the home opposition, and with the news that Rapid Vienna have taken an early lead at KRC Genk, Zagreb have seen that this might be a lead worth defending, as it is to eventually prove.
This has been another example of why Moyes is the right man for the club, period. Building from the ground up, he has an eye on the future and is not just there for the salary. Unlike Pellegrini he is a man making a reputation, not sitting on it, which can only be good for the club long term. The next games are Burnley and Arsenal, and Norwich at home. Actually all winnable.
13 Alphonse Areola, 7 Andriy Yarmolenko, 8 Pablo Fornals, 11 Nicola Vlašić, 16 Mark Noble (c), 33 Alex Král, 42 Aji Alese, 50 Harrison Ashby, 56 Emmanuel Longelo, 64 Sonny Perkins, 75 Jamal Baptiste
Substitutes: 22 Saïd Benrahma
