West Ham United have won the Europa Conference League – their first international title since 1965. The winning goal against Fiorentina came in the final minute.
The 2-1 (0-0) win made West Ham United the second winner in the young history of the Conference League. AS Roma won the first edition in 2022 against Feyenoord Rotterdam. West Ham had previously enjoyed international success: in 1965, the Hammers won the European Cup Winners’ Cup by beating 1860 Munich 2-0 in the final.
“It’s fantastic,” West Ham manager David Moyes told English broadcaster BT Sport. “I’ve had a long career in football and you don’t get those moments very often. You have to work really hard for those moments.” This means that England will have eight teams in Europe next season. Because the win gives West Ham a place in the group stage of the Europa League, although the club is only 14th in the English Premier League.
Laceration after throwing a cup
Fiorentina started a little stronger, but the game then developed evenly and without great chances to score. The biggest upset of the first half was a break in the game. Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi suffered a laceration when cups were thrown at him by West Ham fans. He continued playing with a head bandage.
Cristiano Biraghi (right) talks to the referee
Bowen with the winning goal just before the end
West Ham took the lead in the second half with a hand penalty. Biraghi played the ball with his hands, Said Benrahma converted safely (62′). But Florence quickly found an answer: Giacomo Bonaventura equalized a little later with a shot from the turn in the penalty area (67th).
Both teams still had a good chance: Rolando Mandragora missed from twelve meters for Florence (72), Tomas Soucek failed with a header for West Ham (80). Jarrod Bowen scored the winning goal in the 90th minute: after a pass from deep by Lucas Paquetá, he prevailed and put the ball in the goal for his team’s European victory.
West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen celebrates his goal.
Kehrer: “That’s outstanding”
“Winning a European title with West Ham is outstanding,” said West Ham’s German international Thilo Kehrer, who came on as a substitute in the 61st minute, on Nitro: “The game went back and forth, it was pretty even. In the end we did we got that as a unit.”
“It hurts to lose like that,” said Nikola Milenkovic, Fiorentina defender. “We played well but we mustn’t concede a goal like that in the final minutes. It’s the little details that make the difference in finals.”
Only 18,000 seats in Prague – UEFA wants to use larger stadiums in the future
The choice of venue had caused displeasure among many fans in advance. The Eden Arena in Prague only holds 18,000 people, and only a few tickets were left for the clubs.
UEFA had already announced plans to use larger stadiums in the future and will soon award the 2024 and 2025 Conference League finals. A capacity of 30,000 to 50,000 places was required as a requirement in the application conditions. The finals in 2026 and 2027 have already been advertised by UEFA with similar requirements.
The opening ceremony before the Conference League final in Prague
Two public viewing zones were set up for fans who did not get tickets for the game in Prague – one for each of the two clubs.
smaller riots before the game
Before the game, there were clashes between fans in Prague. Florence supporters attacked West Ham fans in a city center bar, Czech police said. Three people were slightly injured, one of whom was taken to the hospital. In addition, officials have temporarily arrested 16 suspects.
Videos showed fans throwing chairs. The final took place under strong security measures.