West Ham 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen (Agg: 1-3): Hammers knocked out of Europe despite Michail Antonio opener
West Ham almost caused an upset against Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, but unfortunately Jeremie Frimpong's late goal secured a 3-1 overall victory and advancement to the Europa League semi-finals.
The Hammers had a huge challenge ahead of them in trying to put an end to the German team's undefeated streak throughout the whole season, in order to improve their chances of moving forward.
For 76 minutes during the game, it seemed like they could be the inaugural squad to defeat Leverkusen in 44 matches when Michail Antonio scored a header in the 13th minute and brought enthusiasm among the hosts.
However, the team still needed to score one more goal to erase the 2-0 disadvantage from the previous game. Even though Jarrod Bowen and James Ward-Prowse had several close attempts, they were unable to achieve this goal.
Leverkusen, who had made many changes to their team, had a very poor performance during the majority of the first half. The manager, Xabi Alonso, had already brought on three substitutes by the beginning of the second half.
Once the game resumed, the West Ham opponents hardly faced any significant threat of conceding equalizing goals. The home team had less opportunities, with Bowen's nearly successful shot being one of the few chances they had, which came after Hincapie slipped.
However, it was Leverkusen who managed to score and advance to the next round while maintaining their undefeated streak. Frimpong's shot in the 89th minute unfortunately deflected off Aaron Cresswell, ultimately beating Lukas Fabianski and allowing Leverkusen to progress.
On the West Ham team, Fabianski, Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Ward-Prowse, Alvarez, Soucek, Bowen, Antonio, and Kudus all received ratings between 6 and 8.
Players who were used frequently in the match include Ogbonna, who played for 7 times, Cornet, who played for 6 times, and Johnson, who also played for 6 times.
The players of Bayer Leverkusen and their corresponding rating are Kovar (7), Kossounou (5), Tah (6), Hincapie (5), Stanisic (6), Palacios (6), Xhaka (6), Grimaldo (7), Tella (6), Wirtz (6), and Schick (5).
Several football players were used in a recent game. Tapsoba played for 6 units of time, Frimpong played for 7 units of time, Boniface played for 6 units of time, Adli played for 6 units of time, and Andrich's contribution is not applicable.
Man of the match: Mohammed Kudus
"West Ham's Near-Historic Feat Unveiled"
The Hammers started very strong like they were aware of the difficulty of their mission - to triumph over Bayer Leverkusen, something they haven't achieved since May 2023.
The first half, both on and off the field, was dominated by one team, with Alonso's champions appearing disjointed and lacking in energy despite numerous alterations made to their lineup.
However, it was Leverkusen who posed the initial danger as Nathan Tella's attempt from distance was blocked. Nonetheless, a few moments later, it was West Ham who took the lead in the competition.
Bowen executed a turn and a cross that curled just right, setting up Antonio for an easy header. He outmaneuvered Kossounou in the air and sent it flying beyond a defenseless Kovar.
The start made by Leverkusen was quite dreadful, which led to the Ivory Coast defender being withdrawn from the game before even 30 minutes had passed. Before that, Mohammed Kudus, Antonio, and Bowen had made attempts to level up the score in the match.
The modification brought a certain level of confidence for the away team's defense, however, Ward-Prowse managed to shoot the ball towards Kovar's midsection right after Alvarez's shot was prevented just before halftime.
During the break, there were two alterations that suggested West Ham's fears were coming true: Leverkusen had regained their strength. Following what was assumed to be a stern talking to from Alonso, West Ham exhibited the confidence and prowess expected of the top team in Germany.
Despite this, West Ham managed to keep their opponents at a safe distance for the majority of the game.
Frimpong took a photo from an extremely difficult position, but Fabianski managed to prevent a goal. However, the Hammers only started to pose a serious threat when they made an effort to score a second goal.
Frimpong missed a great opportunity to score when he was played through and Florian Wirtz hit a poor half-volley that went wide. Bowen also failed to take advantage of West Ham's only notable chance, which may have been their best chance of the entire game.
Throwing Hincapie off-guard and stealing the ball from the defender inside his penalty area, the attacker had three teammates ready to assist him, but he didn't glance up and ended up shooting the ball way over all three of them, with minimal likelihood of bypassing Kovar at a difficult angle.
There was still a glimmer of hope for the Hammers right up until the last minute of the game. Frimpong controlled the ball in the penalty area, and a big deflection off Cresswell resulted in the ball finding its way into the goal, putting an end to the Hammers' brave effort.
Many West Ham supporters decided to depart at that particular time but still gave their team a hearty round of clapping when they returned to the middle of the field to begin the game again. This showed their recognition for nearly defeating one of the finest teams in Europe, although they came up just short.
Moyes Preferred Exiting With Style
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The leader of West Ham United football team, David Moyes: David Moyes, who is in charge of managing the West Ham United football team, recently spoke about the importance of his team's upcoming match against Chelsea. Moyes emphasized the significance of getting a positive result and how it would boost the team's confidence going forward. He also praised the efforts of his players in recent matches and expressed his optimism for their future performances.
The team did an exceptional job in both games. We faced a formidable opponent and even though we missed some crucial chances and could have been ahead by a few goals tonight, I have nothing but commendation for the players.
If we were to depart from Europe, I desired to make our exit with a remarkable display, which we did against a highly proficient team.
In the first match, we showed excellent strategic skills by preventing the opposing team from scoring until the 83rd minute while playing in Leverkusen. Although, in some games, we may have faced issues with fatigue due to a lack of substitutions available to me.
The most important issue of tonight's game was our failure to score a second goal during the first half. Despite our efforts, we didn't have enough stamina to keep up in the second half.
"Luck Saved Us From A 2-0 Deficit - Alonso"
The boss of Bayer Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso:
The game had two distinct parts. We were aware that West Ham would play with intense energy and put pressure on us by pushing forward. However, we were unable to handle it properly and felt uneasy, creating difficulties. Our combativeness was lacking, we surrendered some easy possessions, and it was a challenging situation.
When we let in the initial goal, we narrowly managed to avoid letting another one slip through. This was definitely the highlight of the first half. Our team members recognized that our energy, ability to handle physical matchups, and overall control of the ball were not up to par.
"We made some changes, aimed to display more personality and exhibit our capabilities on the field."
The Future Of West Ham: What's Next?
West Ham will play a game against another London team, Crystal Palace, on Sunday. The game will start at 3 PM.
The Hammers will be playing against Liverpool, who are contenders for the Premier League title, on April 27. The game will start at 12:30 pm and will be played at the Hammers' home ground.
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