West Ham’s season has been a successful one so far. They are currently sixth place in the Premier League which is a great position for the club. They were in the fight for Champions League football until recently but, unfortunately, they have dropped points in several games since the turn of the year. That being said, they are still within the race for a top six position.
Memorable European Campaign
The 21/22 season in the Europa League has been a huge success for West Ham. They have reached the quarter finals, and this fixture will be a huge occasion for the club as it is their first European quarter final in over 40 years. The Hammers kick started their European journey with a group stage victory over first opponents Dinamo Zagreb. Winning the match, they came away with a clean sheet at the Stadion Maksimir in the away leg. This was thanks to goals from Michail Antonio and Declan Rice.
The second group stage match ended in another 2-0 victory. This time, it came against Austrian side Rapid Wien on the 30th of September at the London stadium. Another goal from Declan Rice and a late strike from Said Benrahma sealed another display of class and expertise from the Hammers as they maintained this perfect start to their European campaign.
3 For 3
Once again, as if it couldn’t get any better for West Ham, in their third group game they dominated the tie against Genk at home. With a comfortable 3-0 victory, and another clean sheet, it looked like West Ham wouldn’t be conceding goals any time soon against opponents in their group.
The second leg against Genk, however, saw the Hammers concede two goals and draw the match 2-2. This showed they had a challenging game to contend with on the opposition’s turf. A double from Said Benrahma had West Ham fans thinking they had won yet another game in their group, before a late own goal from Tomas Soucek meant the Hammers had to settle for a point.
West Ham’s second bout against Rapid Wien saw the Hammers victorious and come away from the Allianz Stadion with a 2-0 win. A header from Andriy Yarmolenko and a penalty from club captain Mark Noble was enough to seal the tie on the 25th of November.
Special Night For West Ham’s Youngsters But Dissapointing Result
The last group stage game came against second place Dinamo Zagreb and was the Hammers first defeat in the competition. Fielding a side largely made up of young players, they lost 1-0 after a thunderous strike in the third minute from Mislav Orsic. It was a well fought out match, however the opponents did enough to see off the Hammers.
In the first leg of the Round of 16, West Ham came up against the Europa League holders Sevilla. This saw the Hammers in a closely contested match which ended in a narrow 1-0 loss at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium just over a fortnight ago on the 10th of March. The East London side knew what they needed to do in the return leg and won 2-0 in a spectacular night at the London stadium. This was one of the greatest nights, certainly in the club’s recent history.
“There’s No One To Fear”
Speaking to the press after the second leg against Sevilla, Declan Rice told them: “There’s no one to fear. Sevilla were probably the favourites. When the draw came out, people thought we had the hardest draw and were going to get knocked out… and we’ve knocked them out!”
The 17th of March 2022 will be a date forever remembered by the club’s supporters, tears were shed, and happiness was in the air as they outshone the competitions holders. This was thanks to a remarkable comeback, with goals coming from Soucek and a late winner from Andriy Yarmolenko in extra time, the Ukrainian’s goal sending East London into jubilation.
Rising East recently caught up with West Ham supporter, Joe Hawley, to discuss the Sevilla game with him and ask him about how he felt after the Hammers remarkable victory. He told us, “I was over the moon with surprise as we had just beaten the Spanish holders of the competition.” He added: “It was truly a remarkable evening to remember.”
“We’ll Challenge Anybody”
Speaking in a press conference, prior to his West Ham side finding out their quarter final opponents, manager David Moyes said: “Whoever we get, we’re looking forward to it. We’ll challenge anybody who comes along.”
The Hammers now have a tough fixture against Lyon in the quarter finals of the Europa League. The first leg of the quarters is a home tie for West Ham and takes place on the 7th of April. Across the two legs of the quarter final, two players to look out for, and who could be game changers and potential match winners in the Hammers squad, are England international Declan Rice and forward Michail Antonio.
One Win Away From Potential Nou Camp Away Trip
West Ham’s opponents Lyon are currently sat in 10th place in Ligue 1. They have a number of high profile players in their squad such as ex Bayern Munich centre back, Jerome Boateng, and Tanguy Ndombele who is on loan from Tottenham.
Their top scorer this season is Cameroonian forward Karl Toko Ekambi, closely followed by ex Celtic striker, Moussa Dembele in second place. Other players such as midfielders Houssem Aouar and Lucas Paqueta could prove to be decisive across the two legs if the French side are victorious against West Ham and progress through to the competition’s semi final.
