Grasshopper Club Zürich 1-3 West Ham United
Pre-Season Match, GC/Campus, Saturday 19 July 2025, 3pm CEST (2pm BST)
West Ham United's 2025/26 pre-season programme began with a 3-1 friendly victory at 27-time Swiss champions Grasshopper Club Zürich on Saturday afternoon.
Andy Irving opened the scoring for Graham Potter's men before the break, before Callum Marshall's finish two minutes into the second half put them firmly in control.
Although Grasshopper's Jonathan Asp Jensen pulled one back on 66 minutes, Lucas Paquetá had the final word in the closing stages to make sure of victory for the Irons.
The Irons, sporting their new 2025/26 Home Kit for the first time, did not have to wait long to open the scoring, as Irving struck with just 13 minutes on the clock.
The Scotland midfielder was teed up by Jarrod Bowen, firing past goalkeeper Justin Hammel from 12 yards with his left foot.
Grasshopper had an opportunity to hit back almost instantly, but Saulo Decarli's looping header narrowly cleared Alphonse Areola's crossbar following a long throw-in by Simone Stroscio.
The Irons were on top, though, and Bowen fizzed an effort not far over the top just past the half-hour, while Niclas Füllkrug flashed a shot just past Hammel's post.
Potter's men doubled the advantage within two minutes of the restart after Paquetá cleverly flicked the ball through to Marshall. The latter was patient to assess his options before shifting the ball on to his left and firing the ball home by the near post.
New signing El Hadji Malick Diouf was introduced from the bench at the break, and he wasted little time in impressing, using his pace to get the better of Allan Arigoni down the left flank.
Diouf almost provided a third on the hour, picking out Tomáš Souček with a pinpoint cross, but the No28 could not force the ball home.
Grasshopper gave themselves hope on 66 minutes thanks to Jensen, who fired beyond Hammers sub goalkeeper Wes Foderingham with a well-taken effort from outside the box, and the hosts had their tails up after the goal with Salifou Diarrassouba sending an effort into the side-netting.
West Ham stood firm, though, and made sure of a winning end to their pre-season training camp in the Black Forest when Paquetá was brought down inside the box two minutes from full-time.
The Brazil playmaker picked himself up, dusted himself down and made no mistake from the spot to make it 3-1.
Paquetá's penalty set the seal on a successful first summer run-out for Potter's men, who will now head to the United States for the Premier League Summer Series.
West Ham United: Areola (Foderingham HT), Wan-Bissaka (Mavropanos HT), Todibo (Aguerd HT), Kilman (Casey HT), Scarles (Diouf HT), Ward-Prowse (Potts HT), Rodríguez (Orford HT), Irving (Souček HT), Cornet (Paquetá HT), Bowen (L. Guilherme HT), Füllkrug (Marshall HT)
Subs not used: Herrick (GK), Awesu (GK), Mayers, Adiele, Kanté, Fearon
Goals: Irving 13, Marshall 47, Paquetá 88 (pen)
