June 8 – Despite being outplayed for most of the game, West Ham United ended a 58-year wait for a European trophy after Jarrod Bowen scored in the 90th minute to secure a 2-1 win over Fiorentina on Wednesday in the Europa Conference League final.
Bowen’s winner set off wild celebrations among the West Ham players and fans after clinching UEFA’s third-tier competition, only the club’s second ever European title and first since the old European Cup Winners’ Cup back in 1965.
“It’s what you always say, you want to score in the last minute a winner. And to do it in front of these fans, I thought I was going to cry,” Bowen told British broadcaster BT Sport. “We’ve had a dream. We haven’t had the best season, myself included. But to do what we’ve done tonight for these fans …. to give them this moment, I’m over the moon.”
West Ham only finished 14th in the Premier League but went unbeaten through its European campaign, coming through qualifying before winning 12 out of 13 games in the tournament. The win also means it earns a berth in the Europa League next season.
“I’ve had a long career in football and you don’t get many moments like this,” said West Ham coach David Moyes, whose job was under threat earlier in the season as the team was struggling near the relegation zone.
It is Moyes’ first major trophy after a 25-year managerial career that has spanned more than 1,000 games and also included stints at Everton and Manchester United.
Saïd Benrahma had given West Ham the lead with a highly dubious penalty in the 62nd minute, awarded after a video review confirmed that Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi handled. Fiorentina equalized five minutes later through Giacomo Bonaventura’s sublime strike.
West Ham’s victory was soured by Biraghi being struck on the back of the head by objects thrown from the stands by West Ham fans during the first half, leaving him bleeding from a nasty gash.
He needed to have his head bandaged to stop the bleeding while a stadium announcer urged supporters to stop throwing objects. Some West Ham players also went over to urge their fans to stop, before play resumed.
“West Ham United unreservedly condemn the behaviour of a small number of individuals who threw objects on to the pitch during tonight’s UEFA Europa Conference League final,” the club said in a statement afterwards.
“These actions have no place in football and do not in any way represent the values of our football club and the overwhelming majority of our supporters, who have behaved impeccably in Prague this week and throughout our last two seasons in European competition.
Rolando Mandragora had a chance to give Fiorentina the lead just minutes after their equaliser but shot just wide from inside the area.
Fiorentina had been waiting even longer than West Ham for a European title, having also won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1961, and looked to have forced extra time before Bowen’s strike.
“Tonight, I honestly didn’t imagine it could finish like this,” said a crestfallen Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano. “We played well, had chances, immediately equalised after a penalty that could have finished us. We reacted, we had a great chance with Mandragora. Then with a ball contested in the middle, we did not make the right movement in defense, and it was all over. The lads were destroyed.”
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