Jacob Steinberg was in Lyon tonight to see the Hammers make it to the last four of the Europa League. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this one. Nighty night!
David Moyes talks to BT. “I am immensely proud of the players, their performance ... and when you look back, more so their performance in the second half. I don’t think many people thought we were going to make it tonight. We’ve got a really good group of lads, I’m really lucky. The journey in two years, we were talking about relegation, and now we’re talking about getting to the semi-final of a European tournament. It’s fabulous, and we’re all going to look forward to it. I think it’s been huge what we’ve done in two years. We’ve not won any trophies yet, but we’ve beaten Sevilla and Lyon, big clubs that are used to European football, and we go again. Tonight was a big moment for us, a really, really good result. When we qualified last year and you could hear all the fans singing ‘We’re all going on a European tour’, well, they’ve had a pretty good tour. Belgium, Croatia, France tonight, we’ve been in Spain, I’m sure they’ll be looking forward to going to Germany as well!”
Declan Rice speaks to BT. “It feels special. Very, very special. We knew it was a tough place to come, we knew they had top individual quality. But we knew we could score goals tonight. It’s such a great night. It was special tonight, it was so, so good. If you can’t get up for these games, you shouldn’t be playing football. We want to reach the final, and will give it everything.” He also mentions payback for Dembele’s cheeky wink in the first leg, plus some big talk on the official Lyon Twitter feed. It’s been a good night for West Ham all right.
Jarrod Bowen adds: “We had to deal with a bit of pressure ... and it’s a horrible score to be two goals up, because they get one, and they’re back in it! We knew the first 15 minutes of the second half would be big, and the way they defended, for me as an attacker, the space was there. I got in, and thankfully got a third!”
Eintracht Frankfurt did their level best to throw it away at Camp Nou, mind. They were 3-0 up going into stoppage time, and 4-1 on aggregate, only for Sergio Busquets to pull one back on the 90-minute mark. Then, in the 11th minute of added time (!) Memphis Depay slammed home another from the spot. The whistle went straight after the restart, though, and Eintracht made it through 4-3 on aggregate despite it all.
David Moyes goes up to the away section and raises both arms in triumph. He deserves all the applause. The state West Ham were in when he took over ... and now look! They utterly dismantled Lyon this evening, soaking up some early pressure, riding a little bit of luck maybe, before suddenly blooming into an unstoppable force. Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen, Craig Dawson and Pablo Fornals were perhaps the standout players in claret, though everyone in a West Ham shirt was a star this evening. A special word for Issa Diop, a stand-in for the injured Kurt Zouma, who picked up an early booking then spent the rest of the evening dealing with the dangerous Karl Toko Ekambi in the fuss-free style. It’s Hammer time!
Updated
FULL TIME: Lyon 0-3 West Ham (agg: 1-4)
Lyon are whistled off, but never mind that: West Ham, brilliant and brave, have made it to the semi-finals of a major European competition for the first time since 1976! They’ll meet Eintracht Frankfurt ... who they beat that year in the Cup Winners’ Cup! Some things are just meant to be.
90 min +3: Ekambi drags a weak shot wide left. Lyon went 12 European games unbeaten at home before this!
90 min +2: The away fans are loudly blowing bubbles. What a night they’re going to have!
90 min +2: Reine-Adelaide has a bash but his shot is blocked.
90 min +1: This is going to be West Ham’s first away win since Kidderminster Harriers in the FA Cup back in February. And what a struggle that was! Oh Lyon.
90 min: Benrahma comes on for Rice. There will be four added minutes.
89 min: Denayer makes way for Reine-Adelaide.
87 min: Dembele has a shot. Straight down Areola’s throat.
85 min: Now Fornals is booked for ... not very much at all. Time-wasting, maybe. “Never mind Craig Dawson - surely Tete must be good with his head?” quips Gareth Neville, perhaps one diacritic away from the perfect gag. But he is here all week. Try the sliced, pan-fried potatoes.
84 min: Barcola is booked for bringing down an in-flight Antonio. That’s the West Ham forward’s last contribution tonight, as he’s replaced by Yarmolenko. Meanwhile N Goodwin observes: “If Aouar takes umbrage with being subbed off, then Bosz could say ‘I owe you nothing, Aouar, nothing at allll’. Or is that Bros?”
Updated
83 min: Lyon aren’t threatening a Benfica-at-Anfield-style late nerve rattler. They’re going nowhere.
81 min: Fornals, mopping up deep in West Ham territory, finds Antonio on the halfway line with a laser pass. Antonio strides down the right, eating up the yards, eating up the time. He eventually earns a free kick, and though nothing comes of it, the clock ticks on.
79 min: Another half chance for Lyon, as Barcola loops deep from the right. Tete telescopes a leg at the far stick, but can only steer the ball into the side netting.
78 min: With Lyon threatening for the first time in ages, West Ham make their first change of the evening. Noble comes on to shore things up, taking the place of Lanzini.
76 min: A corner for Lyon on the left. Mendes swings it in. Dembele fluffs a header, ten yards out, but the ball breaks right for Barcola, in acres. He blazes over from the edge of the six-yard box. A great chance to plant a seed of doubt in West Ham’s collective noggin is spurned.
75 min: Barcola loops a cross in from the right. Dembele throws himself at a bicycle kick. He comes a cropper when pedalling into the imperious Dawson and fails to connect.
73 min: Tete has a speculative wander down the left. Dawson isn’t having any of it. He’s not getting past.
Updated
71 min: Dawson goes down, having taken a ball flush in the coupon. While he’s sniffing the smelling salts, Barcola comes on for Aouar. When play restarts, the previously assured Ekambi takes an air shot from 12 yards.
70 min: Barcelona are now 3-0 down at home to Eintracht Frankfurt, Filip Kostic scoring his second of the evening on 67 minutes. No trip to Camp Nou for West Ham’s fans, then. Like anyone will give two hoots about that right now.
69 min: Gusto snaps up a loose ball 25 yards out, then screeches a diagonal drive towards the bottom left. Areola has to extend fully to fingertip around the post. Fine save, and nothing comes of the corner.
67 min: Antonio wins a corner down the left. From the set piece, Bowen screeches a wild shot into the stand behind.
66 min: Soucek rakes a pass down the left to release Fornals into acres. His first touch takes him a little bit wide, so he pulls back for Antonio. The ball’s blocked, and pings back in his direction. He takes a shot from a tight angle. That’s blocked too. He cocks back his head and laughs. West Ham can afford to take these things in their stride right now.
64 min: This is better from Lyon. A deep cross from the left. Paqueta wins it at the far post, the ball breaking back to Dembele, who spins and sends a vicious shot over the bar from 12 yards. As close as Lyon have come since Ekambi hit the post early doors.
Updated
63 min: Lyon probe the West Ham defence to little effect. In fact the most creative moment comes from Fornals, who intercepts, diddles his way past a couple of people, and nearly releases Antonio down the left with an ambitious outside-of-the-boot rake. Not quite. Somebody’s been watching Luka Modric.
61 min: Antonio contests a high ball with Lukeba, who climbs all over his back. Antonio does the savvy thing, and lays down for a minute’s worth of treatment. West Ham are in complete control of this tie.
59 min: Tete swings one in from the right. Dawson - whose heading prowess knocks that of Trevor Brooking into a cocked hat, this much we’ve established - is all over it and clears.
57 min: A lot of stony expressions in the stands. West Ham have done a number on Lyon here.
55 min: Ekambi cuts in from the left and flays a cross out for a goal kick. He was sensational for most of the first half; now his shoulders are slumped and he’s trudging through the slough of despond. Conceding three goals in 11 minutes tends to affect the mood.
53 min: Lyon’s frustration betrays them, Ekambi barging into the back of Bowen to concede a free kick. The set piece is flung into the box. For a second, it looks like Soucek, who has brought down the dropping ball on the byline, is free to cause havoc, but the flag belatedly goes up for offside. This is all West Ham right now. “Is this real life?” wonders Ian Melven, before pulling us up on another West Ham-related point. “Also, Craig Dawson often scores with his head!” You’re welcome, no need to thank us. Pulitzer, please!
52 min: Rice goes sashaying down the left and wins a corner. Fornals doesn’t rush to take it. He eventually whips the set piece straight down Pollersbeck’s throat.
50 min: Bowen’s goal has sucked all of the life out of the stadium ... apart from one obvious corner, that is. “You mentioned the 1980 FA Cup final earlier,” begins Justin Kavanagh. “Would it be fair to say that Craig Dawson, who swooped to nod one in tonight, doesn’t often score with his head?”
GOAL! Lyon 0-3 West Ham (Bowen 48); agg 1-4
They’re still 42 minutes away ... but oh so close now! Fornals, quarterbacking from deep on the left, pings a diagonal pass upfield for Bowen, who romps clear down the middle. He reaches the edge of the box before launching an unstoppable daisycutter into the bottom left. What a finish!
Updated
47 min: It’s a positive start to the half by West Ham, who are 45 minutes away from their first European semi-final since 1976. Antonio busies himself down the left. Bowen probes down the right. Lyon hold firm; they can’t afford not to.
West Ham get the second half underway. Lyon have made two changes, bringing on Tete and the under-the-weather (but not Covid-stricken) Paqueta. Faivre and Ndombele make way.
Half-time vidiprinter: As things stand, it’s going to be West Ham versus Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-final, because the Germans are now 2-0 up against Barcelona at Camp Nou, Santos Borre doubling their lead on 36 minutes. In the other half of the draw, Rangers are 2-0 up on the night, 2-1 on aggregate, against a Braga side down to ten men. The winner of that tie will meet RB Leipzig, who earlier beat Atalanta 2-0 to win their tie 3-1 on aggregate. A bit long-winded for something styling itself as a vidiprinter, but there it is.
HALF TIME: Lyon 0-2 West Ham (agg 1-3)
The whistle goes, and Lyon traipse off to a few whistles. West Ham have been magnificent, soaking up pressure, drawing Lyon’s sting, and suddenly blooming into life towards the end of the half. They’ve got one foot in the semi-finals ... though of course there’s still a long way to go.
Updated
45 min: There will be one added minute.
GOAL! Lyon 0-2 West Ham (Rice 44); agg 1-3
They don’t make it to the break! Johnson romps down the left. His cross is only half cleared. The ball breaks to Rice, in a pocket of space. Rice takes his time, sets himself, and pearls a low shot goalwards. It takes a nick off Lukeba and flies into the bottom left! West Ham are in dreamland here!
Updated
43 min: This is all West Ham now. Lyon are rocking, and could do with hearing the half-time whistle before conceding another.
41 min: Dawson takes an accidental whack in the chops from Ekambi. It’s a free kick to West Ham nonetheless, out on the right. Coufal knocks it to Bowen on the right. Bowen loops long. Soucek, to the left of the six-yard box, heads across the face of goal. Emerson high-kicks to hoof away, just in time, with Antonio and Rice waiting to head home from close range.
40 min: Fornals and Antonio nearly open up a stunned Lyon down the left with a crisp one-two. Not quite, but the extra spring in West Ham’s step is already evident.
GOAL! Lyon 0-1 West Ham (Dawson 38); agg 1-2
Fornals whips the corner to the near post. Dawson stoops and steers a header into the net from close range. Easy as that!
Updated
37 min: West Ham nearly score a freakish goal. Antonio chests along pass down on the edge of the box. Bowen slips, then gathers himself and shoots. The ball balloons off Denayer, over a stranded Pollersbeck, and nearly bounces into the unguarded net. Just wide left. But never mind, because from the resulting corner on the left ...
35 min: Coufal steps across Emerson as the Lyon man makes his way down the left. He concedes a free kick, and also takes an accidental knee in the clackers. To quote George Costanza, that’s gotta hurt. Happily, he’s up again quickly enough, and in good working order to boot, and nothing comes of the free kick.
33 min: Ndombele clatters into Fornals out on the left. Fornals sends the free kick long. Dawson and Soucek contest a high ball at the far stick, but bowl Emerson to the floor. The whistle goes for a pressure-releasing free kick to Lyon.
32 min: Under no pressure whatsoever, Lukeba slices the ball out for a West Ham corner. Fornals takes. Diop flicks on at the near post, but towards nobody in particular. Goal kick.
30 min: Faivre takes the free kick himself. Diop takes charge of a crowded box, rising highest to bash a header clear.
29 min: Faivre is brought down by Johnson out on the right. A free kick in a dangerous position, just to the side of the West Ham area. Lyon load the box.
28 min: Coufal crosses from the right. Gusto should deal with the ball at the far post, but mistimes his jump. The ball breaks to Fornals ... but not in such a way that he can send a shot goalwards from 12 yards. Neither defence looks particularly convincing right now.
26 min: Gusto crosses from the right. The ball clanks off Dembele, six yards out, and very nearly squeaks into the bottom left. Areola is wise to the danger and gets down to claim. West Ham fairly fortunate that Dembele wasn’t sure of his bearings there.
24 min: Antonio jinks in from the left and wedges a cute pass towards Bowen, coming in from the right, six yards out. It’s not an easy chance, but such is Bowen’s form this season, you’d expect him to slam home from a tight angle. But he can only stretch to volley into the side netting. A chance.
22 min: Diop is booked for a late clatter on the influential Ekambi. A long 70 minutes ahead for the reserve centre back.
Updated
21 min: Ekambi zips down the right, reaches the byline, and cuts back for Dembele, whose first-time low shot is blocked. West Ham go up the other end, Fornals swinging deep from the right, Antonio straining every sinew to cushion a header down for ... nobody. He can be forgiven for expecting a runner from deep to be on the end of that.
19 min: Some mild panic in the West Ham box when Soucek’s clearance is blocked. The ball breaks to Dembele, who can’t sort his feet out on the penalty spot and falls over. He wants a penalty, but it’s not a foul, and in any case the flag pops up for offside. This match is nice and lively.
Updated
18 min: Johnson crosses from the left. Emerson’s clearing header is poor. The ball drops to Fornals, who shapes a shot towards the bottom right. It’s on target, but lacks power. Pollersbeck gathers.
16 min: Aouar rolls a pass down the left for Ekambi. He hits it way too hard, and it looks like flying out for a goal kick, but Ekambi turns on the jets to stop the ball on the byline, then turns Coufal inside out like a freshly laundered pair of socks, turning tail back up the pitch then immediately spinning around again. Having made space out of nothing, he whips into the middle. Diop deals with the cross. What skill from Ekambi, though.
14 min: Ekambi curls a glorious low cross along the corridor of uncertainty from the right. West Ham are extremely fortunate that Dembele is on the back foot at the time. That ball was begging to be slammed home from close range. One hell of a cross.
12 min: The winner of this tie will face either Barcelona or Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-final. Right now, it’s the German side who are going through. They’ve taken an early lead at Camp Nou, Filip Kostic slotting a penalty after just four minutes.
Updated
10 min: Lyon go up the other end and nearly take the lead ... again. Gusto crosses low from the right. Dembele can’t connect at the far post. Aouar has a dig, but a combination of Coufal and Dawson bundles the ball away. Lyon want a penalty for a non-existent handball. Nope!
9 min: Bowen is brought down on the right wing. The resulting free kick finds Lanzini further down the flank. His cross isn’t all that. But West Ham come again, Coufal nearly finding Lanzini in the middle with a whipped cross from the right. Lyon clear their lines. Better from West Ham.
7 min: Mendes drags a shot wide left of the West Ham goal from distance. That was never troubling Areola, but David Moyes is extremely unhappy with his team anyway. Stern words are issued with crisp, clear diction at volume.
5 min: Ekambi dribbles into the West Ham box from the left. He drops a shoulder and sends a fierce snapshot towards the bottom left. Areola is beaten, but the ball clacks off the base of the post and away. Wow. An early escape for the Hammers.
4 min: Lyon are hogging the ball, but going nowhere in particular. West Ham hold their shape confidently, as David Moyes teams tend to do.
2 min: Lyon calm things down with some early possession. The 50,000-odd fans inside the stadium continue to make a rare old racket.
Lyon get the ball rolling after the taking of the knee. Smoke from some firecrackers drifts across the pitch. What an atmosphere! And it’s a bubble very nearly burst immediately by West Ham, as Fornals chases a long speculative ball down the middle. He reaches the edge of the box and drags a shot across the face of the Lyon goal and out for a free kick. Fourteen seconds, that took ... though the flag belatedly goes up for offside. Still, what a statement of intent by the Hammers!
The teams are out! One heck of an atmosphere at the Stade des Lumières. Blue, white and red flags flutter prominently in the stands. Well, this is France. C’est fantastique! Lyon are in their first-choice white with blue and red vertical sash; West Ham sport their favourite colours too. Claret. Well, this is France. C’est fantastique! “The 2006 Cup Final was a pretty big match for West Ham as well,” writes Ian Melven. Ha. Yes, somehow I forgot about the Gerrard Final. My bad. “A fantastic match for the neutral and one that took me at least 10 years to be able to watch again.”
Lyon boss Peter Bosz also has a word with BT. “We have to win. We want to win. We are doing really well in Europe, not in our own league, so it’s important for us tonight. At this level you need your fans, and we have to earn their trust. Without them, it is not possible.”
Anyway, back to this match, and here’s what Davie Moyes has been telling BT Sport. “We’re patching together a wee bit at the back, but they’ve all played together, they’ve played in this competition, so let’s hope they can perform tonight. The quarter final of this cup? Fantastic. For us to be at this level, it can be a little bit underestimated how far we’ve come and how well we’re doing. We’re in with a great chance tonight.”
There’s already been one big statement posted by a Premier League club in Europe tonight. Leicester City have come from behind at PSV Eindhoven to make it through to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League. They were trailing to Eran Zahavi’s 27th-minute goal until James Maddison slotted an Ayoze Perez pullback on 77 minutes. Then with two minutes left on the clock, Leicester flicked a switch and suddenly turned into Swansea City circa 2011. An astonishing Rodgersian pass-and-move sequence that suddenly gathered steam down the left, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall releasing Ademola Lookman with a forensic pass, Paston Daka shooting, Ricardo Pereira steaming in from the other flank to slam home the rebound. As good a team goal as you’ll see in Europe all season. They’ll play either Bodø/Glimt or Roma in the semis.
Issa Diop replaces the stricken Kurt Zouma at centre-half for West Ham, while Ben Johnson stands in at left-back for the suspended Aaron Cresswell. There are two other changes to the XI that started the game in London last week: Vladimír Coufal and Manuel Lanzini replace Ryan Fredericks and Said Benrahma, both of whom drop to the bench.
Brazilian Lucas Paqueta is on the Lyon bench despite Uefa earlier announcing he was out after testing positive for Covid-19. He’s one of three changes to the side sent out for the first leg. Julian Pollersbeck replaces the injured Anthony Lopes in goal. Jérôme Boateng drops to the bench along with Paqueta; Jason Denayer and Karl Toko Ekambi take their places.
Updated
The teams
Lyon: Pollersbeck, Gusto, Denayer, Lukeba, Emerson Palmieri, Faivre, Thiago Mendes, Ndombele, Toko Ekambi, Aouar, Dembele.
Subs: Bonnevie, Lucas Paqueta, Kadewere, Dubois, Keita, Tete, Damien Da Silva, Reine-Adelaide, Bradley Barcola, Boateng, Malcolm Barcola.
West Ham: Areola, Coufal, Dawson, Diop, Johnson, Soucek, Rice, Bowen, Lanzini, Fornals, Antonio.
Subs: Fabianski, Yarmolenko, Vlasic, Noble, Benrahma, Fredericks, Masuaku, Kral, Randolph, Alese, Chesters, Perkins.
Referee: Sandro Scharer (Switzerland).
Preamble
Those who don’t pay close attention to the history of West Ham United may be surprised to hear that the Hammers have a decent record in Europe. They were the second British club to lift the Cup Winners’ Cup, in 1965 - Moore, Hurst and Peters, all that - and reached the final again in 1976 with a side containing Trevor Brooking and Frank Lampard Sr. They also won the Intertoto Cup in 1999, about which you can make your own value judgement, but it is something.
It’s all in the distant past, though, and a new generation are on a quest to make a mark of their own. David Moyes’ men have already knocked out the six-time winners Sevilla, and in the first leg of this tie against Olympique Lyonnais at the London Stadium, ground out a 1-1 draw despite playing more than half of the game with ten men, Aaron Cresswell having been sent packing just before the break. So they’ll be confident in their ability to get what they need tonight at the Stade des Lumières in Lyon.
Lyon will have high hopes themselves, having seen off Champions League rejects Porto in the last round. They’re stranded in mid-table in Ligue 1, but can boast recent European success, having reached the semi-finals of the Champions League just two seasons ago. There’s no major European trophy on their roll of honour, but they did win the 1997 Intertoto Cup, about which you can make your own value judgement, but it is something.
The winners of this tie will play Eintracht Frankfurt or Barcelona in the semi-final. That tie is also delicately poised at 1-1 and will be decided tonight at Camp Nou. Can the Hammers get a result in France and set up what would arguably be their biggest game since the 1980 FA Cup final? We’ll find out soon enough, after extra time and penalties if required. Kick off is at 8pm BST, 9pm in Lyon. It’s on!
Updated
