Road to Prague semi-final

Road to Prague | Semi-final

West Ham United contested 14 ties on the way to reaching the UEFA Europa Conference League final, winning 13 and drawing one.

The Hammers became the first English club to win ten straight UEFA club competition matches, before drawing 1-1 at Belgian side KAA Gent in the first leg of their quarter-final.

A year after a memorable run to the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League, David Moyes side are hoping to go all the way by winning the Conference League in just the second year of the tournament’s existence when they take on ACF Fiorentina of Italy in Prague, Czechia, on Wednesday 7 June.

Before the big game, let us take a look back at West Ham’s run to the Club's first major European final in 47 years...

 

SEMI-FINAL

West Ham United 2-1 AZ Alkmaar
AZ Alkmaar 0-1 West Ham United
(West Ham United won 3-1 on aggregate)

West Ham United secured a place in the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final with a hard-fought aggregate victory over Dutch Eredivisie high-fliers AZ Alkmaar.

For the second round in succession, the Irons fell behind before roaring back to win against opposition from the Low Countries.

This time, it was Tijjani Reijnders who silenced the Claret and Blue Army when his long-range strike flew into the net at London Stadium four minutes before half-time.

However, the Irons regrouped and leveled midway through the second half. Mathew Ryan fouled Jarrod Bowen and Saïd Benrahma converted from the penalty spot. Nine minutes later, Michail Antonio scored his seventh goal of the European campaign from close-range after Nayef Aguerd's initial effort had been cleared off the line, and West Ham traveled to the Netherlands with a one-goal advantage.

Into the second leg and AZ, coached by London-born Marcel Jansen, had a lot of the ball at their sold-out home stadium, but could not turn that possession into clear-cut chances.

 

Paquetá hit the post for West Ham as the Premier League side played on the break, and it was from one final counter that a place in the final was secured.

Tomáš Souček's towering header found Danny Ings, who released Pablo Fornals and the Spaniard showed superb composure to nutmeg Jordy Clasie, get away from the AZ defence and slot low past Ryan to send the Irons to Prague!

 

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