A WALK IN THE FOREST
SC Freiburg 1 West Ham 2
This was to be the game that no West Ham fan would be able to see in the flesh, thanks to the ‘Stoning of Biraghi’ moment from last June’s Europa Conference League final. As one of the lucky few Hammers’ followers to witness this debacle under lights in a 34,200 capacity stadium, I have already noticed the banners made by Freiburg fans that display the bold messages ‘Football Without Fans Is Nothing,’ and ‘Abolish Collective Punishments.’ Bold messages from the club whose city proudly declares itself, ‘Germany’s Greenest City.’
And what an experience it is. Arriving into Freiburg, I have my passport stamped in Switzerland (Basel), then cross over into France to board my coach which takes me on a 50 minute drive to Freiburg, Germany. Arriving late on the Wednesday evening, I look out of my hotel window first thing the next day to see a giant knoll of green foliage behind the hotel car park, otherwise known as Germany’s ‘Black Forest.’
On such journeys I carry an external drive on a USB stick which has copies of everything from episodes of Danger Man and Mission Impossible from the 1960s to more up to date, if suspect, film material such as ‘Barbie’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’
After a day in the Old Town with its beautiful market and historical cathedral I walk the two and a half miles to the ground and grab my tourist half and half souvenir scarf, sold me by a merchant proudly declaring his wares to have been ‘made in the East End of London.’ I bounce the irony back by paying in Euros.
The club afford me the undercover English person comfort and other modern amenities like a choice of vegetarian cuisine, but I meet just three other English people, one a club employee and the other two national UK sports journalists.
Even the behind closed door fixtures have offered noisier support than available to West Ham this evening. It will be interesting to see how they deal with it.
Freiburg open the game more confidently, but in one of their first break away attacks, West Ham, regaled in their second colour all navy strip, take the lead. Bowen is located out on the right by Coufal’s perceptive pass, and his low but cunningly powerful cross travels unchallenged toward the far post where Paquetá meets it with a powerful downward header that rockets spectacularly past Noah Atubolu and up into the roof of the net. The players seem unaware of which corner of the ground to head to for celebration, and so merely group sheepishly around the edge of the six yard box. The explosion of deadly hush that meets the bulging of the net is eerie. Paquetá has the ball in the net again two minutes later but this time is correctly adjudged to have received the ball in an offside position.
Mavropanus and Kehrer, shepherded by this evening’s third different captain of the season, Aguerd, all play powerfully and with increasing confidence as the first half blossoms. Ward-Prowse chases back and makes some important interceptions as West Ham continue to prevent Freiburg from mounting any effective attacks.
My German counterparts have warned me that we are likely to see the arrival of their Japanese secret weapon number 42 Ritsu Doan and, sure enough, he comes on in the second half for the struggling Adamu. Within four minutes his nagging presence on the right prompts Freiburg’s equaliser, a first shot saved brilliantly by Fabianski, a second blocked on the line and the third rammed gleefully home off the underside of the crossbar by Roland Sallai.
West Ham don’t panic though, and calming the rejuvenating surge from the home side, fed by their bouncing home crowd and their buoyant conductor at the front of the terrace waving his hands in furious ecstasy, set about the task of regaining the upper hand. On 66 minutes and after a rare foray into the opposition’s half, Ward-Prowse hits another high inswinging corner that Aguerd leaps elegantly to meet full on the bonce to restore the Londoners’ lead. In the diametrically opposite corner to their goal earlier in the game, the players huddle together away from the potential incitement of the unequivocally partisan crowd.
Even with nearly half an hour remaining, Freiburg are noticeably winded by the goal, and though they manage a bright patch ten minutes from time, Hammers hold on to record a second Europa League victory, David Moyes’ 17th successive unbeaten fixture in Europe, another ‘Great Scot!’ moment. Moyes has now overtaken managerial records held by Bill Nicholson, Don Revie and Pep Guardiola, some decent company to be amongst. His opposite number tonight, Christian Streich, manager at the club for an impressive eleven years, cuts an intellectual figure against the often prosaic managerial heads in this competition, and speaks his thoughtful position with insight afterwards at the press conference.
As for the ‘missing West Ham fans,’ it becomes a story written and hosted by the great German radio journalist Sebastian Bargon, an impressive and renowned commentator who continues the line so eloquently supported by fans of both Bayern Munich and the great SC Freiburg FC.
See you guys at the London Stadium in December!
1 Lucas Fabianski, 3 Aaron Cresswell, 5 Vladimir Coufal, 23 Thilo Kehrer, 27 Nayef Aguerd, 7 James Ward-Prowse 15 Konstantinos Mavropanus, 11 Lucas Paquetá, 22 Saïd Benrahma, 8 Pablo Fornals, 14 Mohammed Kudus
Substitutes: 33 Emerson, 28 Tomas Souček, 14 Maxwell Cornet, 18 Danny Ings
Goalscorers: Lucas Pacquetá, Nayef Aguerd
