In the nick of time: West Ham wins the Conference League after a decisive goal in the 90th minute in the final against Fiorentina

A size for nothing: that’s how we could summarize the first half. The hottest position? Fiorentina captain Biraghi who was pelted by West Ham fans after more than half an hour. First with plastic cups, but then also with a lighter, so that he bled at the back of his head and got a purple wrap. In terms of chances, we only scored a shot from Rice wide (for the English) and in added time a header from Kouamé (ex-Anderlecht) against the post. In the rebound, Jovic scored, but he was millimeters offside, so the goal was disallowed.

After the break the same game image: Fiorentina with the most ball possession and the most passes, but initially it did not get further than a shot from Kouamé again. And when Biraghi touched the ball with his arm in his own box – a bit unfortunate, because he wanted to get in front of his man – the referee was called to the screen and the ball hit the spot. Benrahma converted the penalty flawlessly and the Hammers were able to celebrate.

The joy was short-lived, however, because five minutes later it was already equal. Bonaventura made it 1-1 with a nice corner shot. It didn’t matter if immediately afterwards Mandragora even gave Fiorentina the lead, but his shot whizzed just wide.

We seemed to be on our way to extra time, but the winning goal fell in the very last minute of regular time. Suddenly, Jarrod Bowen was sent deep, into the back of the Fiorentina defence, and could only take on Terracciano. The goalkeeper was still there, but saw the England international’s attempt hit the nets. The supporters behind the goal, just like the players, were overjoyed, especially when the referee blew the whistle after five minutes of extra time. After the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965 and the less prestigious Intertoto Cup in 1999, West Ham has won its third European Cup.