West Ham United v RC Deportivo La Coruna
SBOBET Cup
Boleyn Ground
Saturday 7 August 2010
Kick-off: 3pm
Referee: Kevin Friend 

 

West Ham United 0-0 RC Deportivo La Coruna
(West Ham United win 5-3 on penalties)

West Ham United won the inaugural SBOBET Cup following a thrilling penalty shootout at the Boleyn Ground.

New signing Pablo Barrera netted the winning spot-kick after a goalless 90 minutes in east London, while Robert Green was the other hero, saving from former Spain international midfielder Juan Carlos Valeron. So, new manager Avram Grant wins a bit of silverware in his first game in charge!

Deportivo will feel a bit aggrieved, having created the better chances during normal time, the most notable when forward Lassad drilled a long-range shot against Green's upright.

That matters not, however, as West Ham have finished the pre-season unbeaten in seven matches. The new signings have bedded in well, with Barrera catching the eye following his introduction this afternoon.

The Hammers return to action in the Barclays Premier League a week today at Aston Villa before hosting Bolton Wanderers here on 21 August. The Bolton match has been designated as Kids for a Quid, so there is no excuse for not bringing the children down for what promises to be an exciting afternoon at the Boleyn Ground.

Be sure to keep a close eye on whufc.com later for exclusive post-match reaction.

Penalty shootout

West Ham United 5-3 RC Deportivo La Coruna - Barrera scores! The Mexican sends his shot past Manu and is congratulated by his jubilant teammates.

Barrera to win it...

West Ham United 4-3 RC Deportivo La Coruna - Diego Colotto curls the ball into the top left-hand corner as Green goes the other way.

Colotto must score...

West Ham United 4-2 RC Deportivo La Coruna - Julien Faubert sends Manu the wrong way, screwing the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.

West Ham United 3-2 RC Deportivo La Coruna - The veteran tries to outwit Green by taking a stuttering run-up, but the England stopper dives to his right to parry the ball aside.

West Ham United 3-2 RC Deportivo La Coruna - Piquionne finds the net for the first time in a West Ham shirt, side-footing the ball inside the post and just out of the reach of Manu.

West Ham United 2-2 RC Deportivo La Coruna - Rochela is very composed as he tucks the ball inside the right-hand post.

West Ham United 2-1 RC Deportivo La Coruna - Cole sends Manu the wrong way, tucking his penalty high inside the left-hand post.

West Ham United 1-1 RC Deportivo La Coruna - Ze Castro smashes a superb penalty high to Green's left.

West Ham United 1-0 RC Deportivo La Coruna - Noble scores, driving low to Manu's right.

The two sets of players are just grabbing a quick drink before captains Ze Castro and Upson get some instructions from the referee. The kicks will be taken in front of the Bobby Moore Stand. Mark Noble is going to take the first spot-kick...

Final score - West Ham United 0-0 RC Deportivo La Coruna

91 mins - Noble takes the second corner and Tomkins gets his head to the ball and nods it towards Cole. Manu does well again though and punches clear. We're going to have a penalty shootout for the SBOBET Cup. I'm not sure Piquionne and Colotto understand what's going on as they're swapping shirts.

90 mins - We've got 60 seconds left on the clock or we're going to penalties. You'll need no reminding that West Ham's last penalty shootout took place following the 2006 FA Cup final. We might not need penalties though as West Ham have a very late corner. Barrera to take it... The ball is headed clear to Tomkins, who feeds Noble. The midfielder shoots low and Manu dives full-length to push his effort around the post.

88 mins - Big chance for Deportivo. Laure gets forward well again and crosses over the head of Tomkins for Riki, who heads over from eight yards. Manuel Pablo gets a late run out in place of Laure. Maybe the veteran is a penalty specialist!

87 mins - Noble lobs the ball to the edge of the box where Cole holds off his marker and flicks it towards Piquionne. The new boy tries to divert it into the far corner, but the ball rolls wide. It wouldn't have counted anyway, as Piquionne was offside.

86 mins - Grant is out to the edge of his technical area, as is Deportivo boss Lotina. Neither of the managers will really want penalties.

84 mins - The Mexican clearly doesn't like being shown up on his own patch, picking up the ball and letting fly from the corner of the penalty area. The ball flies just past the angle of post and crossbar.

83 mins - Barrera loses possesion midway inside the Deportivo half and the Spaniards break through Alvarez, who fizzes a dipping shot a yard over the top from 25 yards.

81 mins - Noble and Parker combine before the latter tries to find Piquionne through the middle. The striker tries to flick the ball into his own path, as the pass is slightly behind him, but it ricochets through to Manu.

79 mins - The attendance has been officially announced as 14,295. Perhaps a few people have gone home since we were told earlier...!?

75 mins - Hitzlsperger is replaced by Luis Boa Morte. The German has had a neat and tidy game on his home debut. Boa Morte gets a loud cheer as he enters the fray. Barrera comes to the right flank and Boa Morte goes wide left. Piquionne goes up front with Cole in what looks like a 4-4-2 formation. The Sir Trevor Brooking Stand lower sing "Avram, give us a wave" and the manager responds, much to their approval.

73 mins - Two more changes from Deportivo. Riki and Juan Carlos Valeron are on for Dioni and Rodriguez.

70 mins - We're getting towards the closing stages of the game and not a huge amount is happening out there. Barrera has his first run at the Deportivo defence before crossing left-footed towards Piquionne and Cole, but Ze Castro is in the right place to head clear. Faubert picks up the loose ball and beats one defender before crossing low, only for Cole to slide in and foul his marker.

67 mins - I might have been a bit unfair on the Deportivo fans earlier. Their numbers have swelled since I looked over before kick-off. There must be about 100 of them in the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand.

64 mins - Piquionne is on the right of the front three, with Barrera on the left. The Frenchman's first touch is a superb one and his run is only stopped by a rather cynical ankle-tap by Juan Rodriguez.

63 mins - Gabbidon is replaced by Barrera, while Piquionne is on for Diamanti.

62 mins - Deportivo have a free-kick wide on the right. The ball is curled into the six-yard box and Green punches powerfully clear. We're going to see Barrera and Piquionne in a few moments. The new boys get a nice ovation as they make their way to the touchline.

60 mins - The crowd is announced as 14,507. Guardado is replaced by Saul, which will be of a relief to Tomkins. Dominguez comes on for Lassad.

57 mins - Laure gets to the byline before looking up and clipping a cross towards the penalty spot. Dioni twists and sends a looping header goalwards, but that is an easy catch for Green. Deportivo are going to make some changes in a short while.

56 mins - Diamanti drills a superb pass over the head of Rochela into the path of Faubert. The Frenchman takes the ball in his stride superbly before crossing towards Cole. Manu anticipates well and clutches the ball in front of his face. Good play, though.

51 mins - Noble tries to thread a neat ball between Laure and Colotto towards Ilunga. Laure gets a foot in and the ball bounces off the DR Congo defender and it goes behind.

50 mins - Rochela concedes a corner. Diamanti's initial effort is cleared by a defender. The Italian regains possession and crosses to the back post, where Cole heads back across the face of goal towards Upson. Ze Castro heads clear.

48 mins - Deportivo come close again. Alvarez gets in behind Upson and stabs the ball across the six-yard box. Thankfully Dioni does not anticipate the cross and Tomkins clears at the far post.

46 mins - Deportivo get us back underway through Dioni and Lassad. Guardado threatens, but Tomkins gets in a toe and Ilunga heads clear.

Here come the two teams again. West Ham are out first. Diamanti and Diego Seoane exchange a warm embrace. Let me try to find out why...

Half-time score - West Ham United 0-0 RC Deportivo La Coruna

46 mins - Referee Friend brings the first half to a close just a second over the 45 minutes. Deportivo were the better of the two teams there and will consider themselves unfortunate not to be ahead. Lassad came closest, sending his rasping drive against the face of the upright. At the other end, West Ham have not worked Manu often enough. Manager Grant will want to see more cohesion from his side after the break.

44 mins - Tomkins does well, tracking Guardado before blocking the winger's cross behind for a corner. The Mexican takes the flag-kick himself and Rodriguez wins the header. It is on target, but too close to Green, who catches diving to his left.

42 mins - Faubert does well before lofting a delicious ball over Ze Castro into the path of Cole. The striker miscontrols and the ball squirts far enough away for Manu to scramble out of his box and clear.

41 mins - Alvarez puts over another good cross from the right and Guardado attacks the ball and wins it above Tomkins. The ball flies over the top. Another warning for the Hammers.

39 mins - A period of nice one-touch stuff involving Hitzlsperger and Ilunga ends with Noble trying to play in Parker, but Colotto is there again to block the attempted through-ball.

37 mins - Deportivo threaten. Guardado is at the hub of the move again - he really is a good player. The ball is worked wide right to Pablo Alvarez, whose cross is headed clear by Upson at the near post.

34 mins - It's now chucking it down. I should be a weatherman! On a serious note, the surface will be even slicker. Cole is fouled by Colotto deep inside the Deportivo half. West Ham keep up the pressure and Parker drives forward with typical gusto before unleashing a swerving effort that dips just past the far post. Manu was diving full-length for that one.

33 mins - The floodlights are being turned on as Faubert wins a corner down the right. Noble floats the ball across, but Cole can't direct his header goalwards.

31 mins - While the football has brightened up, the weather has done the opposite. It looks like we could be in for a bit of rain here.

29 mins - It's certainly livened up a bit here! West Ham win a free-kick wide on the left. Diamanti curls the ball over and Manu shows good handling to grab the ball inches off the ground.

28 mins - Lassad turns provider this time, curling over a cross that a diving Dioni gets his head to. Thankfully Tomkins had tracked the forward's run and is able to divert the ball out for another corner. Guardado crosses and Green punches clear before Parker smashes the ball upfield.

27 mins - Oooooooooooh! That was close. Lassad runs forward from the halfway line before thumping a rising drive off the post. The ball hits Green on the back and flies wide for a corner. Upson wins the header and West Ham clear through Faubert.

26 mins - Hitzlsperger has settled into life at the Boleyn Ground very nicely. He looks very composed in possession and never panics, even in the tightest of spots.

22 mins - Laure gets forward down the right and wins a corner off Ilunga. Guardado to take... The Mexican curls the ball in left-footed and Upson heads clear. Deportivo pick up possession again and feed Guardado. This time he crosses right-footed and Lassad should do better with his header. Instead, the ball flies harmlessly over the top.

20 mins - Hitzlsperger turns nicely before finding Parker. The midfielder romps forward before spreading play left to Diamanti, who instantly plays the ball to Ilunga. The DR Congo man wins a corner, but it comes to nothing.

18 mins - Diamanti and Faubert have switched wings. Da Costa and Boa Morte head out for a jog and are quickly joined by Frederic Piquionne.

17 mins - Hitzlsperger gets a cheer from the crowd as he nutmegs Guardado and tries to find Cole. Unfortunately, the striker is outmuscled by centre-back Ze Castro and the chance is lost. Good play by the German, though.

16 mins - Dioni outjumps Upson and heads the ball down to captain Juan Rodriguez. The midfielder takes a touch and shoots from 30 yards, but his effort slices high and wide of the left-hand post.

15 mins - A short break in play allows Grant to get some instructions to Diamanti. Meanwhile, Daprela, Kovac and Stanislas are sent out for a jog along the touchline.

13 mins - West Ham are knocking the ball around nicely enough, but they're not hurting Deportivo just yet. A route-one pass from Noble tries to pick out Cole's run, but goalkeeper Manu is out smartly to grab the ball on the edge of his penalty area.

10 mins - Faubert does well to cut inside and stab the ball out left to Diamanti. The Italian cuts inside his marker with a drop of the shoulder before shooting powerfully. The shot is going nowhere near the goal, but it thuds into the chest of defender Colotto, who needs treatment.

9 mins - Cole turns well and runs at the Deportivo defence before trying to play in Faubert. The ball takes a nick off a defender and goes behind for a corner. Diamanti takes the kick, but it is short to the near post and headed clear.

7 mins - Good stuff. Guardado's low shot takes a slight deflection and Green plunges to his right to palm the ball aside and Tomkins completes the clearance.

6 mins - West Ham concede a free-kick in a dangerous position 25 yards out. Guardado looks like he's going to take this one with his left foot. Robert Green sets up his wall...

3 mins - Deportivo come forward down the right and win a throw, but the danger is quickly snuffed out by Diamanti. Deportivo look very comfortable in possession, as you would expect from a Spanish side. Laure overlaps down the right, but his cross is low and poor, allowing Noble to clear with ease.

1 min - West Ham kick-off and go on the attack from the start. Diamanti is playing down the left of the front three, with Faubert on the right in his new attacking position.

3.04pm - We're nearly ready to go. Avram Grant is introduced to the crowd and the new manager rises from his seat in the dugout to applaud the supporters.

3.01pm - Bill Mummery and Boy Wong present a massive cheque for £10,000 to the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK. The two captains are called forward to go through the pre-match coin toss with referee Kevin Friend.

2.58pm - The strains of 'Bubbles' reverberate around the east London sky and that can mean only one thing... Here come the two teams, led by captains Matthew Upson and Juan Rodriguez. The two sets of players line up to be introduced to West Ham United Chairman David Gold and Bill Mummery and Boy Wong from SBOBET.

2.55pm - The pitch is now empty, bar a couple of groundstaff walking round with forks to iron out the divots. The playing surface looks in immaculate condition and should be conducive to an entertaining game of passing, attacking football. I wouldn't like to estimate the crowd inside the Boleyn Ground this afternoon, but there are a fair few thousand here. Looking to my left, the away end is not exactly what you'd call busy. I reckon the Galicians have brought about 30 fans with them...

2.50pm - The players are making their way down the tunnel. Scott Parker stops to sign a few autographs. The crowd of young fans is huge. If the Hammer of the Year signs them all, he won't make kick-off!

2.47pm - PA announcer Jeremy Nicholas is running through the two teams. He also tells the crowd that this is his 13th season as the club's matchday PA man. Let's hope that doesn't mean we're in for an unlucky season. Both sets of players are still going through their pre-match warm-ups on the pitch. It's a muggy afternoon, so it's going to be a tiring 90 minutes for the two teams. Deportivo are contesting their third straight match against British opposition, having taken on Cardiff City and Newcastle United in the last seven days.

2.40pm - Officials from the club's Principal Partners SBOBET are being introduced to the crowd. SBOBET have made a donation of £10,000 to the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK and have been a consistent supporter of the club's Academy. On the pitch, the players are enjoying a small-sided game, with Pablo Barrera donning the white bib that means he can play for both teams.

2.30pm - It's a bright day here in east London as West Ham United prepare to make their first home appearance of the 2010/11 season. It's already been a productive day for the club, with both the reserve and youth teams scoring victories. Alex Dyer's reserves drew 1-1 with Ipswich Town, with Tal Ben Haim making his first appearance for the club, while Tony Carr's youngsters defeated Leyton Orient.

Good afternoon and welcome to the Boleyn Ground for the first SBOBET Cup in aid of the West Ham United Academy.

Today's visit of Spanish giants RC Deportivo La Coruna marks manager Avram Grant's first game in charge at the home of the Hammers.

New signing Thomas Hitzlsperger makes his full home debut, while Pablo Barrera and Frederic Piquionne are all in line for their Boleyn Ground bows from the substitutes bench.

Fellow new boys Tal Ben Haim and Winston Reid only linked up with the club this week and neither will be involved this afternoon. Ben Haim, along with Valon Behrami, Jordan Spence and Frank Nouble, played in a reserve-team fixture earlier today against Ipswich Town.

The only other players definitely missing this afternoon are long-term injury absentees Jack Collison and Zavon Hines, both of whom are recovering well following knee surgery.

Deportivo also have a host of new signings on show, many of whom featured in the club's pre-season friendly meeting with Barclays Premier League Newcastle United in Spain.

West Ham United: Green, Tomkins, Gabbidon (Barrera 63), Upson, Ilunga, Parker, Noble, Hitzlsperger (Boa Morte 75), Faubert, Diamanti (Piquionne 63), Cole
Subs: Stech, Daprela, Spector, Da Costa, Kovac, Stanislas

RC Deportivo La Coruna: Manu, Ze Castro, Colotto, Rochela, Laure (Manuel Pablo 88), Pablo Alvarez, Dioni (Riki 73), Seoane, Juan Rodriguez (Valeron 73), Guardado (Saul 60), Lassad (Juan Dominguez 60)
Subs: Diego Rivas, Aythami