West Ham face uphill task after Kamada rewards Eintracht Frankfurt’s dominance


In the end, the only consolation for West Ham was that they are still alive. No one should mistake this for a bad luck story, even if Jarrod Bowen had the misfortune to hit the crossbar with a bicycle kick in added time. The reality is that Eintracht Frankfurt dominated for long stretches and, as David Moyes analyzes his side’s messy performance, his main emotion will be relief that West Ham’s hopes of reaching the Europa League final have not dimmed. to dust

Likewise, West Ham have a lot of room for improvement before they travel to Germany next week. To begin with they will have to be much more careful in possession. At times, West Ham simply seemed to be forcing the issue, almost as if the excitement of their first European semi-final in 46 years had taken its toll on their approach, and despite all their effort, it was hard to remember much in the way of control while they played struggling to contain Eintracht, who will be disappointed not to have started with more than a 2-1 lead.

For West Ham, the signs felt ominous from the moment the electrifying Ansgar Knauff put Eintracht ahead after 50 seconds. It was irritating for Moyes. West Ham tend not to give away goals cheaply, but they never looked comfortable dealing with Eintracht’s counter-attacks. There were plenty of chances for the Bundesliga side and although West Ham fought hard, leveling through Michail Antonio, it felt fitting that the winning goal came from Daichi Kamada, whose ingenious footwork and eye for the pass made him noted as the most outstanding player in the game.

West Ham’s creative players couldn’t match Kamada. Pablo Fornals disappointed and Manuel Lanzini’s touch escaped him. Bowen was a pest but lacked composure in the crucial moments. Even set pieces, so often a source of strength for West Ham, were lacking. “We didn’t show enough quality,” Moyes said. “Sometimes the opposition makes it difficult for you.”

Eintracht certainly did that. They were not intimidated by a passionate home crowd after shocking Barcelona in the last round. Oliver Glasner’s side are strong on their travels and it was no surprise that Kamada was involved as they soaked up the energy of the stadium by scoring on his first attack.

It was a very well-crafted goal, Kamada carrying the ball down the left, Rafael Borré spinning on the edge of the box. West Ham, who had been supported by Kurt Zouma returning from injury to join Craig Dawson in central defence, didn’t even seem to realize they were in trouble. There was too much room for Borré to turn and when the striker sent a spiral cross behind Fornals, it was almost as if he knew Knauff would hit the far post, diving in from the right flank to head past Alphonse Areola.

West Ham looked surprised. Had Moyes called Zouma back too soon? The defense looked nervous and it took a while for West Ham to shake their heads to clear it. Even Declan Rice was struggling for dominance in midfield and there were times when Frankfurt, struggling with their enterprising 3-4-2-1 formation, threatened to extend their lead.

However, West Ham struggled. They soon prevailed and the tie should have come when Antonio combined with Tomas Soucek, who sent Bowen on the run. The winger’s low shot looked good enough, only for Kevin Trapp to guide the shot to the left post.

Michail Antonio celebrates after scoring West Ham's equaliser.
Michail Antonio celebrates after scoring West Ham’s equaliser. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Behind came West Ham, pushing again. Eintracht’s concern, missing influencers Kristijan Jakic and Evan Ndicka, was how they would fare physically. It was easy to see why when Lanzini took a free kick at the far post in the 21st minute, Zouma headed on goal and Antonio volleyed in West Ham’s equalizer from close range.

Tension was finally lifted, Antonio threatening to score again after an error by Almamy Touré, although Eintracht continued to threaten at half-time. At times West Ham’s players didn’t know who to pick and it was hard not to feel sorry for Aaron Cresswell as the left-back struggled to keep up with Knauff who kept making the same angled run and almost restored the lead. from Eintracht just before the half. weather.

Eintracht was impressive. His movement was too fast, the interaction too abrupt. West Ham couldn’t cope and were behind again when Djibril Sow appeared in midfield after 54 minutes, braced Jesper Lindstrøm and tried to drive a low shot past Areola, who saved the ball into Kamada’s way. and watched helplessly. as the midfielder deflected the rebound.

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West Ham had it all to do. While Saïd Benrahma cut through the wood with a bending effort after replacing Lanzini, a draw rarely seemed likely. More precision was required and there were howls from the crowd as Benrahma fired with Antonio wide open in the middle.

He summed up West Ham’s night, although Eintracht will have their own doubts. Will they regret Kamada’s deflected shot that hit the woodwork at 2-1? It was a great escape for West Ham and they will rely on Eintracht’s average home form. This tie is not over yet.



Reference-www.theguardian.com

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