West Ham win Conference League final overshadowed by cup toss

taketonews

Bowen scores late

58 years after the coup against Munich’s “Löwen” West Ham United have won an international title again. The London club around Bayern player Declan Rice and the German national defender Thilo Kehrer won the second edition of the Conference League on Wednesday with a 2-1 (0-0) win over the Italian club AC Florenz. West Ham thus secured a starting place for the upcoming Europa League after a disappointing season with fears of relegation.

Saïd Benrahma with a hand penalty (62nd) and Jarrod Bowen (90th) scored the goals for the “Hammers”, who in 1965 – led by the eventual world champions Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst – won the European Cup Winners’ Cup by beating 1860 Munich 2-0 had won. Giacomo Bonaventura’s equalizer (67th) wasn’t enough for Florence. As a result, the Serie A club also lost its second final this season, Inter Milan won 2-1 in the cup final.

The duel was overshadowed by fan riots. Florence supporters attacked Londoners in a city-centre 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. There were also unpleasant scenes in the stadium. Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi was thrown at with several drinking cups when he tried to take a corner. The Italian then bled heavily from the back of his head, but was able to continue the game with a turban.

Biraghi was then involuntarily the center of attention for the first goal conceded. Because he touched the ball with his hand in a duel with Bowen, referee Carlos del Cerro Grande decided on a penalty after studying the video. Benrahma put the ball powerfully into the goal. Florence quickly recovered from the shock and scored a remarkable equalizer through Bonaventura. At the time, Kehrer was already in the game, the former Schalke player came on after just over an hour. The decision then came in the last minute, when Bowen shot in for the acclaimed winner.

The final of the Europa Conference League took place under strong security measures. Police helicopters have been circling over the metropolis on the Moldau since the afternoon. Hundreds of officers were deployed, including mounted police officers. Two public viewing zones were set up for fans who could no longer get tickets for the game in the Eden Arena with around 18,000 seats – one for each of the two clubs.

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