Bowen grabs last-gasp winner as West Ham secure Conference League glory
Send a link to a friend
[June 08, 2023]
By Michael Kahn and Robert Muller
PRAGUE (Reuters) -Jarrod Bowen slid home a 90th-minute winner as
West Ham United secured a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Fiorentina in
the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday to clinch a first
major European trophy in over half a century.
The match at Prague's Eden Arena looked like it was heading to extra
time when Lucas Paqueta slipped a ball through to Bowen who outpaced
the defenders on a quick counter attack and fired past Fiorentina
keeper Pietro Terracciano.
The goal made Bowen the first English player to score the winner in
a major European final since Arsenal's Alan Smith in 1994 and capped
a campaign in which West Ham were unbeaten in 15 UEFA Europa
Conference League matches.
"You make that run 10 times and you might get it once," Bowen told
BT Sport. "I had a lot of time but I was confident and when I saw it
going in, I didn't know what to do. This was the biggest game of my
career."
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Jun/08/images/ads/current/hampton_sda_PROMGRAD_2023.png)
"I obviously dreamed of scoring but to score the winner in the last
minute. It's what you always say you want to do. To do it in front
of these fans. I thought I was going to cry. I'm just happy."
West Ham took the lead in the 62nd minute when Said Benrahma
converted a penalty after a VAR review confirmed a handball by the
Italian side's captain Cristiano Biraghi, who had been a thorn in
West Ham's side with his runs down the flank.
Fiorentina immediately stepped up the pace after going behind and
were rewarded five minutes later when Giacomo Bonaventura controlled
the ball with two defenders on him and sent an angled shot past West
Ham keeper Alphonse Areola.
"I have had a long career in football and you don't get many moments
like this," West Ham Boss David Moyes told BT Sport. "These sorts of
moments as managers don't come around often. This is a great moment
for us."
Both sides struggled to create much in a nervy opening half with
Fiorentina controlling possession but lacking a cutting edge in the
final third, while West Ham had long spells without the ball.
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/060823PIX/sports73.jpg)
Soccer Football - Europa Conference
League - Final - Fiorentina v West Ham United - Eden Arena, Prague,
Czech Republic - June 7, 2023 West Ham United's Tomas Soucek
celebrates with the trophy and teammates after winning the Europa
Conference League Final REUTERS/David W Cerny
![](../images/ads/current/graue_lda_4_2021.png)
When the referee blew the final whistle, the West
Ham players raced to the corner to celebrate in front of their fans
who revelled in the team's first win in a European final since they
lifted the Cup Winners' Cup in 1965.
"It hurts to lose like this. We played well but we can't concede
such an easy goal in the final minutes. The team gave their all but
in certain situations we have to be more concentrated – keep
controlling the game and pressing. In finals, small details make the
difference," said Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic.
The supporters of both teams made their presence felt in a noisy
atmosphere, though the referee was forced to stop play midway
through the opening half after West Ham fans threw cups at
Fiorentina's Biraghi, hitting the defender on the head and drawing
blood.
UEFA had allotted only 5,780 tickets to each club, leaving legions
of supporters unable to attend the match at Slavia Prague's stadium
with a capacity set at 18,000 for the final.
Many thousands of West Ham supporters instead watched the match in
bars and fan zones aground the city. Earlier in the day, Czech
police said they had detained 16 Fiorentina supporters after they
attacked West Ham fans in a local bar and a police officer.
(Reporting by Michael Kahn and Robert Muller, Editing by Toby Davis)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Jun/08/images/ads/current/debbiesfloral_lda_060123.png) |