WEST HAM UNITED v UC SAMPDORIA
MARATHONBET CUP
BOLEYN GROUND
SATURDAY 9 AUGUST 2014
KICK-OFF: 3PM
Full-time: West Ham United 3-2 UC Sampdoria
92: West Ham have trailed twice but they have won the Marathonbet Cup! The final whistle is blown! That was a very entertaining 90 minutes, and one with a fantastic conclusion. The Sampdoria players go over to thank their supporters, while the Hammers players wait to raise a bit of silverware!
91: Two minutes of added time to be played. Lee wins another free-kick as he is brought down wide right. He has been good since he came on, has the 19-year-old forward.
90: GOAL! BURKE WINS IT FOR WEST HAM! Amazingly, Lee is sent into space by the big centre-back, who continues his run into the box. Lee shows real composure and looks up, delays and then threads a pass along the face of the six-yard box for Burke, who side-foots into the net. What a moment for the 17-year-old!
89: Today's attendance is 13,693. Lee beats his man on the outside and clips a cross to the far post for Vaz Te, but it's just too high. He nods it back, but only to a Sampdoria defender. The Italians clear their lines.
88: A week ago, West Ham won a penalty shootout. Will they have a chance to do it again today?
87: Fantastic run by Downing, who beats two men as he slaloms along the right touchline and then inside across the edge of the box. He shoots, but the giant Salamon makes a block.
86: Lee collects on the edge of the box but drives himself a little wide as he beats Costa, so he cannot get any power on his shot. Sampdoria clear.
85: Da Costa flaps at the corner and Diame heads it back to Noble. He looks up and opts to square to the unmarked Vaz Te. The No12's touch lets him down a bit and he has to stretch, but still flashes a shot that flies a yard past the top right-hand corner. Before the goal kick, Poyet is on for Noble.
84: Downing receives Noble's pass wide right and crosses. Nolan is there at the far post, but Da Costa stretches to palm the ball behind for a corner.
82: Another chance for the Hammers as Nolan collects from Vaz Te, turns and opens up his body before curling a couple of yards wide. Gabbiadini is replaced by Rizzo, Palombo is off for Campana and Soriano is off for Fedato.
81: West Ham are pushing hard for the winner now. Downing turns onto a pass from Noble and shoots low. It's a skimmer and Da Costa does well to hold on.
79: West Ham hit the bar! Vaz Te collects a pass from Potts and beats his man De Silvestri on the inside before hanging up a cross for Downing to attack. He beats Cacciatore in the air and the ball hits the bar. It drops for Potts, who has continued his run, but the No27 swivels and volleys over the top!
77: GOAL! What a goal by Mo Diame! He is out wide on the right touchline before bulldozing past Cacciatore, cutting outside Costa and then shooting left-footed from about 12 yards past Da Costa. The goalkeeper got a touch, but he couldn't keep it out. We're 13 minutes from penalty kicks.
76: Lee is on for Cole, while Burke is on for Collins. Lee has nine goals in pre-season for the U21s. Can he translate that form into the first team?
75: Lee and Burke will be on shortly.
74: Good play from the Hammers ends with Diame using his pace and power to drive past De Silvestri. The No21 cuts the ball back with pace and it nicks a defender before being headed back on target by Nolan. However, the effort is from about 12 yards and doesn't have the power to beat the goalkeeper. Da Costa catches.
72: Gastaldello is replaced by Andrea Costa. Salamon is back on.
71: Cole and Salamon clash and the latter feels the effects. The physio is on for the Pole - again! Time for another drinks break.
70: George Moncur has scored for Colchester! They are now drawing 2-2 with Oldham in League One.
67: Vaz Te drags a shot wide. Sampdoria replace their goalscorers. Sansone is on for Eder, while Okaka is replaced by new signing Bergessio.
66: West Ham have lost a bit of impetus since that second Sampdoria goal. Meanwhile, the visitors and their fans are looking far more confident.
64: Sampdoria have two subs ready and waiting to come on.
63: West Ham win a free-kick wide right. Noble takes and Collins flings himself at the ball and heads wide of the near post.
61: Goal! Out of almost nothing, Sampdoria lead again. Eder gets into space between Collins and Tomkins onto Soriano's pass, holds off the latter and strokes low past Adrian to the goalkeeper's right.
59: West Ham have four men in the box, but Potts cannot beat Obiang with his cross and Sampdoria move forward again. Their fans are something special. The few hundred over in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower are making plenty of noise and are a really colourful bunch. As is the case with many Continental fans, they are being led by a man with a megaphone and have some neat choreographed moves!
57: Kouyate is replaced by fellow countryman Diame. A big round of applause for the two Senegalese. Kouyate was impressive there. He has an all-round game. Like I said earlier, he looks like he could be a favourite here at the Boleyn Ground.
55: Sampdoria have a little flurry. Okaka's shot is blocked by Collins. The ball loops up and Reid's header falls to Gabbiadini. He sets on his left foot, but Nolan is covering and makes a block. Committed defending.
53: The home side are back in control of proceedings. Can Big Sam's men find a second goal and get their noses in front?
51: Quality football from West Ham, real quality. Cole starts it by holding off two Sampdoria players in midfield. Downing, Noble and Kouyate are involved before the former finds the captain on the edge of the box. He takes a touch and tees up Kouyate, whose driven low cross is a yard in front of Cole. The ball flashes across the face and out for a goal kick.
49: Sampdoria have been the better side in the opening moments of the second half. Eder is tripped by Tomkins. The free-kick leads to some head tennis before Adrian comes out and collects a scooped through ball from Gabbiadini.
47: Big chance for Gabbiadini, who loses Reid and Potts as he chests a through ball down cleverly. He is on his left foot, right of the goal but only 15 yards out. The No11 shoots and slices well wide as Potts slides in with the challenge. Head in hands for Gabbiadini, who scored ten times last season for Sampdoria.
46: Sampdoria get the game back underway. Indeed, West Ham have gone 4-3-3, with Tomkins at right-back and Vaz Te wide left in the front three.
It looks like Tomkins has gone to right-back and West Ham will be playing with a 4-3-3 shape this half.
It looks like Ricardo Vaz Te will be coming on after the break as he is handed a shirt by fitness coach Eamon Swift. In fact, both No10s have been replaced. Vaz Te is on for Zarate, while Obiang replaces Krsticic
We have five Lucky Programme Number winners, each of whom have won a cover poster signed by Mauro Zarate. The winning numbers are 0813, 1170, 2526, 2578 and 2648. Please email [email protected] with proof that you have the winning Programme - a photo will suffice - and your postal address and we will send out your prize. Alternatively, we can arrange delivery at a future home match.
I am told Cresswell's injury came about when he won that thumping challenge five minutes before he was replaced, as he jarred his knee. Hopefully it won't be too serious. As I say, he walked off under his own steam.
48: GOAL! Noble makes no mistake! Da Costa dives to his right and Noble simply sidefoots to the goalkeeper's left. West Ham deserve that goal. They certainly didn't deserve to go in behind. Palombo tries a ridiculous effort from the kick-off, which is on target but held by Adrian, and that's half-time.
47: West Ham have another free-kick, but not before Kouyate has shown another facet of his game with a 40-yard ball out to the left for Potts. Noble lifts the ball into the box and Potts battles before being tripped as he goes past his man, De Silvestri. Penalty!!!
46: Into two added minutes...
43: The giant Pole Salamon brings down Cole as the striker controls on his chest. Another free-kick to West Ham inside the Sampdoria half. It's wasted when Noble's pass is lost by Kouyate. To his credit, the No8 races back about 70 yards and barges Okaka out of the way to win the ball back. Superb work-rate. He then swaps passes with Reid before beating his man and being fouled. I think West Ham fans are going to like Kouyate.
41: Kouyate has been everywhere. This time he makes an attacking break between the centre-backs, but he just cannot bring down Tomkins' through ball and Da Costa is out smartly to collect.
40: Of our loanees, George Moncur has just come on as a substitute for Colchester United in League One. They are 1-1 with Oldham Athletic. Raphael Spiegel is on the bench for Crawley Town at Barnsley. Back here, another Downing cross is cleared by Sampdoria.
38: The wall was about five yards away by the time Zarate hit that. Anyway, the free-kick thuds into the wall. The loose ball bounces out to Kouyate, whose first-time shot is straight at Da Costa. The goalkeeper holds on.
37: Super play from Potts, who collects a pass from Kouyate before turning and running 40 yards down the centre of the pitch into space. He is brought down 25 yards from goal, left of centre. Zarate is all over this. Four-man wall, with Collins and Cole on one end.
35: Gabbiadini latches onto a lofted pass from Okaka and is in behind Potts. The No11 looks up and picks out Eder in space. The Brazilian shoots first-time and he drags it a yard or two wide of the far post. West Ham break immediately from the goal kick, with Downing's rasping shot headed out for a corner by Salamon. The corner from Downing is to the near post and cleared easily.
33: An early change fro West Ham, as Cresswell is replaced by Potts. Cresswell heads down the tunnel with a member of the medical team. Hopefully that's just precautionary. He walked off, which is a positive.
31: Half a chance for Krsticic as he gets through one on one with Collins, but the Serb delays and wastes the opportunity by trying to find Okaka when a shot was surely the better option.
30: West Ham win another attacking free-kick as Zarate is fouled as he spins onto a pass from Kouyate. This is again right of centre. West Ham take it quickly, with Noble finding Downing. He crosses to Nolan in plenty of space, but the skipper takes it first time and screws his shot well wide.
29: Salamon is back on again!
27: Enterprising play from Cresswell, who beats his man and then thunders into a challenge with De Silvestri to win a throw. Committed stuff from the left wing-back. Sampdoria then win a throw themselves but there is a break in play as Salamon again needs the physio on. This might be a knock-on effect from his challenge with Kouyate a few minutes ago, as nobody is near the defender as he goes down and sits on the turf inside the Sampdoria box.
24: Okaka, of course, scored against West Ham the last time he faced us. That was for Fulham in the Premier League back in May 2010.
22: Both physios are on as Kouyate and Salamon run into each other. The two teams take the opportunity to have a drink. Both men are fit to continue and we re-start with a drop ball, which is punted back to Adrian.
20: West Ham have the ball in the net through Cole, but he's long since been flagged offside after being hit by Cresswell's shot.
18: Straight from the kick-off, Nolan is fouled to the right of the Sampdoria box. Downing curls the free-kick into the near post, but Sampdoria clear. Cresswell cleans up and West Ham attack again. Downing streaks past Cacciatore and crosses for Cole, who goes down under the challenge from Salamon. Nothing given by Mr Madley except a corner as the visitors clear behind. Downing takes to the edge of the box, but Zarate cannot get any power on his volley and Sampdoria clear again.
16: Goal! After dominating much of the opening 15 minutes, West Ham trail. Collins gets caught the wrong side of Okaka, who holds off the defender and slots past Adrian after receiving a pass from Eder. Collins won't be happy with himself there, as he slaps his hands on his hips in frustration.
15: Downing has definitely got the beating of his man. He crosses low and Kouyate lets it run for Nolan, but Palombo cuts it out. Downing soon has the ball again and this time he lifts the ball to the far post for Cole, who heads well wide.
14: Okaka charges down Collins' clearance up the line, then mis-controls the ball out for a goal kick. Ironic cheers from the East Stand.
13: Nice interplay from Noble and Kouyate in the centre of the field. They have combined well a few times already. Noble then Cruyffs his way past Soriano and is tripped by the Sampdoria No21.
11: Zarate has a run after collecting the ball in the hole behind the Sampdoria midfield He gets past Cacciatore, the left-back, on the outside, but his low cross is cut out by captain Gastaldello.
9: Sampdoria manager Mihajlovic is out there in his technical area. He's not the sort of manager you would want to get on the wrong side of as a player, I'd suspect! Sampdoria have settled a little and are passing the ball around neatly in their smart white kits. It's been easy on the eye, so far.
7: I've seen every pre-season game so far, bar the Ipswich match, and this has been up there with the best football West Ham have played over the last month or so. It's very encouraging to see the Hammers pressing their opponents and playing their football high up the pitch.
5: Sampdoria are using a 4-3-3 shape and Eder is the frontman wide on the left. He tries to latch onto a through ball from Okaka, but Collins is alert and wins the challenge fairly. Good defending.
3: The corner is curled in but referee Mr Madley spots an infringement and gives Sampdoria a free-kick.
2: Kouyate shows great feet to beat one man before being felled by De Silvestri. Noble curls in the free-kick to the near post, where it eludes a defender's boot and loops up for Nolan. He tries an acrobatic overhead that Da Costa scrambles behind at the near post!
1: Good start by West Ham as Noble finds Downing in space on the right. He drops his shoulder and beats his man. Cresswell is in the box at the far post, but he cannot win the header above De Silvestri. The ball loops into the air and goalkeeper Da Costa punches clear unconvincingly, but Sampdoria survive.
3pm: Kick-off is going to be a minute or two late as the mascots pose for their photos with the captains and match officials. Collins will play centre of the three defenders, with Reid to his left and Tomkins to his right. Kouyate and Noble will support Nolan in central midfield, with Cole and Zarate up front.
2.55pm: For the first time in 99 days, 'Bubbles' starts to play! It's nearly time for kick-off here at the Boleyn Ground... Here come the two teams, led by captains Nolan and Gastaldello. West Ham are in their home kit, while Sampdoria are in all white.
2.50pm: Congratulations to Ivan De Mello, who was fortunate enough to win a pair of boots signed by Mark Noble, simply by purchasing a ticket for today's game!
2.45pm: I have heard a rumour that West Ham may be employing a 3-5-2 formation this afternoon, with Zarate and Cole up front and Downing deployed as a right wing-back. Pre-season is all about experimenting and trying things out, so it will be interesting to see how the system works out. Sampdoria, I am told, will play with a 4-3-3 shape.
2.40pm: The two teams are out in the east London sunshine warming-up. It's a warm afternoon here, I must say. The Hammers are wearing the new third kit for their warm-up, which went on sale at the Club Stores and online this morning! Very smart it is, too.
2pm: We have got the team news! Three new signings are given a start by Big Sam - Cheikhou Kouyate, Mauro Zarate and Aaron Cresswell. What do you think of Big Sam's starting XI? Let us know on Twitter using #WHUSAM.
West Ham United: Adrian, Tomkins, Collins, Reid, Cresswell, Kouyate, Noble, Nolan (c), Downing, Zarate, Cole
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Burke, Potts, Cullen, Diame, Poyet, Vaz Te, Lee
UC Sampdoria: Da Costa, De Silvestri, Cacciatore, Gastaldello (c), Salamon, Palombo, Krsticic, Eder, Soriano, Gabbiadini, Okaka
Subs: Massolo, Costa, Duncan, Fedato, Sansone, Obiang, Bergessio, Campana, Rizzo, Fornasier, Wszolek
Good afternoon and welcome back to the Boleyn Ground as football returns after a 99-day break.
The Hammers face Italian side UC Sampdoria for the inaugural holding of the Marathonbet Cup.
Following six pre-season matches away from home, Sam Allardyce's men are back on familiar turf, with several new signings set to make their Boleyn Ground debuts. West Ham will be looking to end their pre-season campaign on a high, having not yet won a summer fixture over 90 minutes. They did triumph 7-6 on penalties following a 0-0 draw at Schalke 04 last Saturday, but then suffered a 2-0 defeat to Malaga 24 hours later at the same venue.
Saturday's opponents finished last season's Serie A campaign in eleventh place and will be playing their first game on UK soil since a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United in 2007. Sampdoria's season starts with a trip to Palermo on 31 August, and they could feature as many as five new signings on Saturday - full backs Lorenzo De Silvestri, Fabrizio Cacciatore, midfielders Alfred Duncan and Jose Campana and forward Gonzalo Bergessio.
Team news-wise, West Ham manager Sam Allardyce could give four of his six summer signings their first appearances at the Boleyn Ground in Claret and Blue, with Aaron Cresswell, Cheikhou Kouyate, Diego Poyet and Mauro Zarate all in line to feature. Two other recent arrivals, Carl Jenkinson (hamstring) and Enner Valencia (not match fit), are not available for selection. Andy Carroll (ankle) is also definitely out, but James Tomkins (groin) and Guy Demel (compassionate leave) could be involved.
Sampdoria have also been busy in the transfer market, bringing in full-backs Lorenzo De Silvestri and Fabrizio Cacciatore, midfielders Alfred Duncan and Jose Campana and forward Gonzalo Bergessio. While all five could appear this afternoon, Alessandro De Vitis will miss today's game after undergoing surgery to repair damaged anterior cruciate knee ligaments, while Vasco Regini (bruised sternum) could also be sidelined.
Should today's match finish level after 90 minutes, a penalty shootout will take place to determine the winner.