West Ham win Conference League

Czech Republic Jarrod Bowen's 90th-minute goal helped West Ham beat Fiorentina 2-1 in the Europa Conference League final on June 7.

Goals: Bonaventura 67' - Benrahma (pen) 62', Bowen 90'

The Conference League final saw a tense game with many fierce clashes, especially in the second half. In a difficult match for West Ham, Bowen became the hero when he won a penalty to help the English representative open the score, before breaking free to score in the 90th minute to seal a thrilling victory. The 2-1 victory helped West Ham end a 43-year title drought, and also secure a ticket to next season's Europa League.

Bowen's (white) 90th-minute finish helped West Ham win the title. Photo: AP

Most of the West Ham fans who arrived in Prague did not have tickets to the stadium. Those present in the stands at Fortuna Stadium made the match tense from the first half. One of the 5,000 West Ham fans threw an object that hit Cristiano Biraghi in the head, causing the Fiorentina defender to bleed and require medical attention. On the pitch, players from both teams also played fiercely with many rough tackles.

Neither team has qualified for European competition through their domestic competitions, so they are determined to make it to the Conference League final. This is West Ham's first European final in 47 years, while Fiorentina have had to wait 33 years to reach the final of a major tournament on the old continent.

Fiorentina are favourites, having scored the most goals in European competitions this season, with 36 goals in 14 games. The Italians' attack broke through West Ham's net late in the first half, but VAR ruled Luka Jovic offside with the rebound.

The deadlock was broken in the 62nd minute. Bowen handled the ball cleverly in the penalty area, causing Biraghi to handle the ball. From the penalty, Said Benrahma put West Ham ahead.

Fiorentina stormed after conceding and needed just five minutes to equalise. Giacomo Bonavetura controlled the ball neatly and fired into the far corner, beating Alphonso Areola. From then on, both teams became more aggressive in their tackling and more cautious in defence.

Fiorentina had 63% possession and twice as many shots as West Ham (17 to 8). But those numbers were meaningless, as the English side won the match thanks to a reasonable counter-attacking strategy. A momentary lapse in concentration at the end of the match saw Fiorentina punished by a through ball from Lucas Paqueta. Bowen, West Ham's fastest player, broke through and scored the winning goal in the final minute of regulation time.

Manager David Moyes ran around the pitch celebrating after Bowen's goal, while his counterpart on the other side of the pitch Vincenzo Italiano was stunned. Fiorentina had eight minutes of added time to find an equalizer, but failed.

Captain Declan Rice and teammates lift the Europa Conference League trophy at Fortuna Stadium on June 7. Photo: AP

West Ham won their first trophy since beating Arsenal in the 1980 FA Cup final, and their first European title in 58 years. Left-back Emerson made history as the first player to win all three European competitions, the Champions League and Europa League with Chelsea, as well as the Conference League with West Ham.

David Moyes' side finished 14th in the Premier League, but the season was still considered a success as they qualified for the Europa League group stage next season. Fiorentina are the second Serie A side to lose a European final in just a few days, after AS Roma lost to Sevilla in the Europa League. Italian teams could make it a "hat-trick of runners-up" if Inter fail to beat Man City in the Champions League final this weekend.

Line-up:

Fiorentina (4-3-3): Terracciano, Dodo, Milenkovic, Ranieri (Julio 84), Biraghi, Bonaventura, Amrabat, Mandragora, Gonzalez, Jovic (Cabral 45), Kouama (Saponara 62)

West Ham (4-3-3): Areola, Coufal, Zouma (Kehrer 61), Aguerd, Palmieri, Soucek, Rice, Paqueta, Bowen, Benrahma (Fornals 76).

Vy Anh

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