It was the 65th minute of the Conference League round of 16 rematch with Larnaca. West Ham led 3:0, the Hammers from Cyprus won 2:0 and there was no doubt about advancing. The teenager Mubama, who had been on the lawn for approximately ten minutes at that moment, volunteered to speak.
Aaron Cresswell took a corner kick, Tomáš Souček jumped the highest and returned the ball with his head into the dangerous area in front of the goal. There stood Mubama, ready, and he guided the ball into the net with his foot. “No one will take this goal away from me. I hope to add many more. I just want to thank God and the coach for giving me the opportunity to play,” he said happily after the match.
The native of London made his mark already in the fall in the Conference League group against the Romanian team FSCB, but in the end the goal was marked as his own. Now the joy could burst forth in full.
“After the form I’ve had in the youth teams, I’m happy to continue my scoring streak here. I’m excited,” smiled Mubama, who has been with the club since he was eight years old. For example, in Premier League 2, he has already made his mark eleven times this season. “He always excites with his energy and running. Hopefully he inspires the rest of the academy. If you’re good enough, you will get your chance,” said coach David Moyes.
“He deserves it. When he trains with us, you can see how good he is. I’m glad he managed to score after the disappointment of having the first one taken away from him,” added team-mate Jarrod Bowen, who scored twice in West Ham’s 4-0 final triumph.
West Ham is thus in the quarter-finals, the next opponent will be known during Friday’s draw. But no satisfaction can come. The Hammers are languishing at the bottom of the table in the Premier League and need a kick-start with the international break starting next week. “We have a lot of work to do to prepare for the end of the season. We’re in a position we don’t want to be in. We have to work,” Bowen roars.
