Czech Republic: Jarrod Bowen's 90th-minute goal helped West Ham beat Fiorentina 2-1 in the Europa Conference League final on June 7th.
Goals: Bonaventura 67' - Benrahma (pen) 62', Bowen 90'
The Conference League final was a closely contested match with many fierce clashes, especially in the second half. In a difficult situation for West Ham, Bowen became the hero, winning a penalty that gave the English side the lead, before scoring in the 90th minute to seal a dramatic victory. The 2-1 win ended West Ham's 43-year trophy drought and secured their place in next season's Europa League.
Bowen's (white) 90th-minute strike secured the championship for West Ham. Photo: AP
Most West Ham fans who traveled to Prague did not have tickets. Those present in the Fortuna Stadium stands made the match tense from the first half. One of the 5,000 West Ham supporters threw an object that hit Cristiano Biraghi in the head, causing the Fiorentina defender to bleed and require medical attention. On the pitch, players from both teams also played aggressively, with many rough tackles.
Neither team qualified for European competition through their domestic leagues, so they are focusing all their efforts on the Conference League final. This is West Ham's first European Cup final in 47 years, while Fiorentina has also waited 33 years to reach the final of a major tournament on the Old Continent.
Fiorentina were considered the favorites, being the highest-scoring team in European cups this season with 36 goals in 14 matches. The Italian side's attack breached West Ham's net at the end of the first half, but VAR confirmed Luka Jovic was offside in the rebound.
The deadlock was broken in the 62nd minute. Bowen showed clever skill in the penalty area, causing Biraghi to handle the ball. From the resulting penalty, Said Benrahma put West Ham ahead.
Fiorentina surged forward after conceding the goal and needed only five minutes to equalize. Giacomo Bonavatura controlled the ball neatly, then fired a shot into the far corner, beating Alphonso Areola. From then on, both teams played more aggressively in challenges and more cautiously in defense.
Fiorentina held possession for 63%, with more than double the number of shots compared to West Ham (17 versus 8). However, those statistics were meaningless, as the English side ultimately won thanks to a well-executed counter-attacking strategy. A momentary lapse in concentration at the end of the match led to Fiorentina being punished by a through ball from Lucas Paqueta. Bowen, West Ham's fastest player, broke free and scored the winning goal in the final minute of regular time, securing a 2-1 victory.
Manager David Moyes ran across the pitch celebrating after Bowen's goal, while his counterpart Vincenzo Italiano on the other side looked stunned. Fiorentina had eight minutes of added time to try and find an equalizer, but to no avail.
Captain Declan Rice and his teammates lift the Europa Conference League trophy at Fortuna Stadium on June 7th. Photo: AP
West Ham won their first title since beating Arsenal in the 1980 FA Cup final, and their first European trophy in 58 years. Left-back Emerson made history as the first player to win all three European competitions – the Champions League and Europa League with Chelsea, as well as the Conference League while playing for West Ham.
David Moyes' team finished 14th in the Premier League, but the season is still considered a success as they qualified for the Europa League group stage next season. Fiorentina became the second Serie A representative to lose in a European cup final in just a few days, after AS Roma lost to Sevilla in the Europa League. Italian teams could achieve a "hattrick of second-place finishes" if Inter fail to beat Man City in the Champions League final this weekend.
Starting lineup:
Fiorentina (4-3-3): Terracciano, Dodo, Milenkovic, Ranieri (Julio 84), Biraghi, Bonaventura, Amrabat, Mandragora, Gonzalez, Jovic (Cabral 45), Kouama (Saponara 62)
West Ham (4-3-3): Areola, Coufal, Zouma (Kehrer 61), Aguerd, Palmieri, Soucek, Rice, Paqueta, Bowen, Benrahma (Fornals 76).
Vy Anh
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