Julen Lopetegui congratulated a ‘great’ West Ham United side after David Moyes’ team knocked Sevilla out of the UEFA Europa League, speaking to Estadio Deportivo.
If you knew not a jot about top-level football and we told you that one of the teams at the London Stadium on Thursday night were the most successful in the history of the competition – and the other was playing in their first European knockout tie since 1999/20 – you’d have been forgiven for assuming it was West Ham, rather than Sevilla, who have lifted the trophy six times in the last 16 years.
It took an Andriy Yarmolenko winner, in the 112th minute, to separate the two sides over two legs.
But even West Ham’s 2-0 victory on the night does not reflect the gulf in class between the ferocious hosts and their surprisingly meek, Andalusian opponents.
Can West Ham win the Europa League?
“It was a tough (match against) a good team in the Premier League, who gave us a difficult situation,” sighs Lopetegui, who’s Sevilla side were distinctly second best on the night.
“We have tried to compete. We have shown our face in many moments.
“We have to congratulate West Ham. They are a great team.
It was a trademark soaring header from Tomas Soucek late in the opening ‘45 which cancelled out Munir’s winner from the first leg at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. And if anyone summed up the way West Ham played on the night, it was their giant Czech midfielder.
Whenever there was a ball to be won, there Soucek was. Sticking out a boot, winning a header, putting his body on the line. Michail Antonio, meanwhile, produced one of those tireless centre-forward performances he tends to reserve for occasions like this.
Declan Rice was colossal again. Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson stood strong. Pablo Fornals, Said Benrahma and Manuel Lanzini must have completed a marathon between them.
And while Alphonse Areola was hardly overworked in goal, he still found the time to produce one of the finest reflex saves you’ll see in the competition this season.
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