West Ham comes undone against Eintracht Frankfurt. The goals made by Ansgar Knauff and Daichi Kamada gave the German side a slender advantage ahead of the next match. West Ham’s chances of reaching the European final for 46 years are hanging in balance. The team lost 2-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt in Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first match at the London Stadium.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s wing-back Ansgar Knauff turned the game in front after 50 seconds. Michail Antonio’s close-range finish (21) managed to bring West Ham level the game. The German side regained the lead during the second half of the match. Daichi Kamada (54) secured their second win in the nine games they have played so far. This win gave them the chance to continue their unbeaten run in the competition. The two sides will be meeting for the second leg in Frankfurt next Thursday. The winner will play either the RB Leipzig or Rangers in the final which will be held on May 18 in Seville.
How Frankfurt beat the Hammers
It was a nightmare start for West Ham. The start of the match at the London Stadium was not that great for the team. Knauff headed in Rafael Borre’s cross and made the back post. They cut some slack by defending by Pablo Fornals.
Jarrod Bowen was given the chance to get the gilt-edged opportunity. They brought the West Ham level after 14 minutes. The team got stuck after being played through on goal by Tomas Soucek. West Ham, did not have to wait long for another opportunity because Kurt Zouma nodded down a free-kick to Antonio. He poked the ball home and levelled the tie. The electric home crowd was surprised to see him turn the game around.
The match ended a run of 10 games. The striker did not make a goal. He last scored in West Ham’s 3-1 defeat at Southampton in the FA Cup on March 2. Frankfurt’s poses continued to play after the break. He nearly went ahead through Knauff again. Frankfurt was the only player who could wing-back to rush his finish. The fire over from inside the area gave him the chance for the half clearance by Aaron Cresswell.
Knauff was on a loan from Borussia Dortmund. He was given plenty of licences and got forward. It caused West Ham a lot of problems while Frankfurt overloaded the left-hand side. West Ham was slow out of the blocks. They made a big change after the break and made the team pay with the help of Frankfurt.
He is placed the ninth in the Bundesliga. After a fine passage of play, the audience saw Kamada sweep in the rebound. The fine Alphonse Areola saved to deny Djibril Sow from close-range. Substitute Said that Benrahma made an instant impact. He brushed an upright swing but his performance was less impressive 15 minutes later. He fired high and wide from inside the area.
What Will Be Next?
West Ham will be continuing to make their bid for a European spot. They are aiming for a secure spot in the next season. The team will be facing Arsenal this Sunday. You can catch the game live on Sky Sports Premier League at 4.30 pm. Eintracht Frankfurt will also have the European hopes high to keep fighting for when they return to the Bundesliga. They will be facing Bayer Leverkusen on Monday.
