Just two games against Eintracht Frankfurt. This is the only thing that separates West Ham and a big European final, and the ease with which they sent Lyon was really “massive”. The French hosts did everything they could to intimidate their guests. They had their fireworks, their flares, their whistles and their drums, but they did not have the je ne sais quoi that West Ham had. As soon as Craig Dawson’s corkscrew entered, they were curtains for Lyon. From there, Declan Rice added a second, sprinting to the 3,000 West Ham fans sitting in the skies kissing the signal. Jarrod Bowen then got the third, a good finish at the end of a great counterattack. What a night it was, and to think it’s the anniversary of their most important night in Europe – a 3-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt that sent them to the final of the 1976 European Cup Winners’ Cup. As fate would have it, it is Frankfurt that will face next, after the Germans surprisingly beat Barcelona. More than a few West Ham fans may be disappointed with this result. They had imagined a trip to the Nou Camp. However, they can spend their day in the Spanish sun – the final is in Seville, finally, on May 18. There were West Ham fans watching the game around the world, some set their alarms and others took time off work to coordinate. It started at 8 p.m. in England, but for James Finley in Auckland, New Zealand, it was 7 in the morning. For Iraklis Veliskakis in Thessaloniki, 10 p.m. For Zach Vavro in Pittsburgh, USA, 15:00. For Chris Filer Jr. in Melbourne, Australia, 5 p.m. They hoped it would be worth it and you can imagine Chris hugging the living room pillows during a nervous breakdown. A wave of attacks in Lyon fell on West Ham, who had the carpentry to thank for not falling 1-0 in five minutes. Carl Toko Ekabi cut in and had room to shoot, beating goalkeeper Alphonse Areola but not the crossbar. That was close, and Lyon seemed forever likely to score from crosses as well. Right back Malo Gusto made his own bleep test on his wing, running tirelessly back and forth, and a ball inside the box from him led to a hand-to-hand battle that West Ham tried to clear. Lyon did not play like a team in 10th place in Ligue 1. It was at the top, pushing Premier League visitors back. However, after surviving this early storm – and I say troubled waters – West Ham took the game. Their first chance to score came in the 24th minute when Michael Antonio crossed the crossbar. It was a nice ball and Bowen was there waiting. He stretched to meet it, but could not direct it to the target beyond Julian Pollersbeck. At this stage, West Ham had only 30 percent of the possession. But then they scored a very familiar goal – the kind we have seen from them in the Premier League this season. Bowen’s effort bounced off Jason Denayer, beating West Ham in a corner. Lyon fans whistled, making a piercing nose. Their attempt to distract attention did not work. Pablo Fornals passed and Dawson, who put in front of the nearby beam, headed towards the house. West Ham took the lead. Would they sit back and try to defend the 1-0 lead? Do not bet on it. It was 2-0 before halftime when Emerson’s header fell to Rice on the edge of the box. The English international opened his body as if he was going to shoot to his right. Instead, he aimed to the left and, with an auxiliary deviation from Castello Lukeba, beat Pollersbeck. Lucas Paketa was Lyon’s best player in the first leg and West Ham believed they would lose that match after testing positive for Covid on Thursday morning. They thought wrong. He came out negative in the afternoon in a separate test and so he was available. Paqueta was introduced for the second half by coach Peter Bosz, as was Tete. It did not help. A counterattack and it was 3-0 for West Ham and good night Lyon. Antonio participated in the creation, as very often nowadays. He held the ball high before passing it to Fornals, who played a smart ball for the first time back for Bowen. The 25-year-old, who started in a non-League, ran into it and put an end to it, beating Pollersbeck. Now it was like it was time for a party for West Ham. At least that is how the 3,000 fans who were huddled in the corner of Groupama Stadium planned to spend the last half hour. Lyon’s heads were gone, as were some of the fans making their way to the exits. There was still time for Areola to make a contribution. He had the strange repulsion to do, although as time went on, it was just a consolation that Lyon was looking for. As mentioned, this victory fell on the same day that, in 1976, West Ham defeated Eintracht Frankfurt in the European Cup Winners’ Cup to reach the final of this tournament. Considered by many fans of the age to be their best memory, the club is now writing new chapters. That’s why David Moyes deserves so much credit. It took this team to a new level in such a short time, and now they can say they are Europa League semifinals. Scroll down to see how it all turned out with the Sportsmail live runner.
