West Ham’s Europa Conference League final victory over Fiorentina will live long in the memory of Hammers fans.
They turned up in their droves in Prague, ready to cheer on their heroes to what they hoped would be an era-defining victory, and that’s exactly how it turned out.
Though it was the competition’s two top scoring teams that were contesting the final, it was a cagey affair until the hour mark when Said Benrahma fired the east Londoners ahead from the penalty spot.
Giacomo Bonaventura quickly equalised for the Italians, but the last word was West Ham’s with Jarrod Bowen sliding in an 89th minute winner to send David Moyes hurtling down the touchline and the fans in the stadium into meltdown.
UNBELIEVABLE SCENES!! ?
Jarrod Bowen writes himself in West Ham history to surely clinch glory with the last kick of the game!! ?#UECLfinal pic.twitter.com/W2b8zqfR8W
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) June 7, 2023
It was a magnificent moment for West Ham and for English football in general.
Even though the ECL is seen as a ‘third tier’ European trophy behind the Champions League and Europa League, it is a major trophy nonetheless, and the first of any description won by the Hammers since Billy Bonds lifted the FA Cup at Wembley in 1980.
The official UEFA website released their Europa Conference League Team of the Season on Thursday, and it was perhaps no surprise to see it dominated by West Ham’s players.
Declan Rice, Bowen, Michail Antonio, Lucas Paqueta, Alphonse Areola and Nayef Aguerd were all selected by the panel, along with Biraghi, Milenkovic and Gonzalez from Fiorentina, and Basel’s Ndoye and Diouf.