Red carded David Moyes has apologised for kicking the ball at a ball boy during West Ham ’s semi-final heartbreak in Frankfurt.
With the Hammers trailing 1-0, Moyes tried to speed up the ball returning to play but emotions boiled over and the Scot hoofed the ball back in the boy's direction. It left Roma's bench up in arms at the incident and Moyes was given his marching orders by the referee. The Irons boss was shown a straight red by referee Jesus Gil Manzano after the incident, 12 minutes from time.
Moyes would apologise for the incident, saying: "I kicked a ball back at a ball boy so I apologise for that. He threw the ball very softly at me. I just feel disappointed at the moment, we've played better teams than Frankfurt and I thought this was a real chance. But we lost the game when we conceded in the first minute of the game at the London Stadium. We were chasing the game ever since."
Aaron Cresswell had earlier been sent off for denying winger Jens Petter Hauge a goalscoring opportunity after just 18 minutes. Frankfurt forward Rafael Borre swept his side in front eight minutes later to cap a well-worked move.
It denied the Hammers the chance to reach a first European final since 1976. Moyes added: “Things didn't go for us on the night but I'm really proud of the players and the way that we played with ten men.
“Did I have any complaints about the red card. Lots of complaints, yes.” England midfielder Declan Rice added: “The sending off was probably a sending off but some of the other decisions were poor.
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“The ref seemed to make every decision go for them. When you have someone against you, you can't do much. The lads in the dressing room, myself, we have lost big games but we have come off the pitch with our heads held high. We have given it a go. Nobody expected us to get past Sevilla or Lyon.
"We had a genuine belief in the camp, the fans, even players from other teams, to go out and do it. We will be back. I am young, I want more, the lads want more and the club deserves more. I am sure we will be back."
