Sport nationMatch Summary
West Ham United produced a scintillating performance to thrash SC Freiburg 5-0 at the London Stadium and book their place in the Europa League quarter-finals with a 5-1 aggregate victory. The Hammers came into the match trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Germany, but quickly overturned the deficit with goals from Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen in the first half. Aaron Cresswell extended the lead early in the second half before Mohammed Kudus stole the show with two superb individual goals to cap off a memorable European night for David Moyes’ side.
West Ham started on the front foot, nearly taking the lead in the opening minutes when Bowen’s effort from Vladimir Coufal’s throw-in was tipped over by Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu. The hosts then piled on the pressure from a series of corners, with the third one leading to the breakthrough goal in the 9th minute. Cresswell’s outswinging delivery was headed on by Tomas Soucek for Paqueta to tap in from close range[9].
Freiburg had a great chance to equalize when Max Eggestein played in Roland Sallai, but the striker dragged his shot wide with only Lukasz Fabianski to beat. West Ham then doubled their lead in the 32nd minute through a moment of individual brilliance from Bowen. The England international, who was recalled to Gareth Southgate’s squad earlier in the day, collected the ball 35 yards out, shrugged off Eggestein and hammered an unstoppable shot into the top corner from the edge of the box[9].
Leading 2-1 on aggregate at halftime, West Ham put the tie to bed seven minutes into the second half. Bowen’s cross from the right was cleared only as far as Cresswell on the edge of the area, and the left-back fired a low shot in off the post to make it 3-0 on the night[9].
Freiburg tried to muster a response but never seriously threatened, and it was the Hammers who added further gloss to the scoreline with two stunning goals from Kudus. First, the Ghanaian winger picked up the ball inside his own half, beat three defenders with his pace and skill, and coolly slotted past Atubolu. Then minutes later, he rifled home a first-time shot from Bowen’s layoff to make it 5-0 and send the London Stadium into raptures[9].
The comprehensive victory means West Ham progress to the Europa League last eight for the second time in three seasons. It was a much-needed result and performance after a disappointing run of form domestically. Moyes will hope this sparks a strong finish to the campaign as the Hammers also chase European qualification via the Premier League.
Player Ratings
My player ratings for the West Ham starting XI[5]:
- Lukasz Fabianski – 7.5: Did not have much to do but pulled off three big saves when called upon. Does all the basics so well.
- Vladimir Coufal – 7.5: Very solid, got up and down the right flank and gave Kudus plenty of support. Reliable as always.
- Konstantinos Mavropanos – 7: Some shaky moments on the ball but always showed for it and tried to carry it out from the back. A better performance overall.
- Nayef Aguerd – 7: Not really tested but had a couple moments where he needed to show more strength. Did his job.
- Aaron Cresswell – 8: Scored with a neat finish and dealt well with the threat of Ritsu Doan, Freiburg’s most dangerous attacker. A good showing topped off by the important third goal.
- Edson Alvarez – 8.5: Superb performance in midfield. Provided the assist for Paqueta’s opener then scored an excellent goal himself, thumping home after a one-two with Bowen. Shout for man of the match but withdrawn early.
- Tomas Soucek – 7: Disciplined and hardworking display. Clearly told to stick to his defensive midfield role and did the job well.
- James Ward-Prowse – 7: Similar to Soucek, kept things ticking over in possession and recycled the ball quickly. Solid if unspectacular.
- Lucas Paqueta – 7: Scored the crucial opening goal and looked in the mood again after a poor display last time out at Fulham. Nothing too spectacular but a positive performance.
- Jarrod Bowen – 7.5: Scored a stunning goal and assisted Alvarez. Constant threat with his movement and link-up play. Should have scored another but a very good display.
- Mohammed Kudus – 9 (Man of the Match): Absolutely brilliant. Caused chaos for the Freiburg defense all game with his dribbling and directness. Scored two sensational goals and worked his socks off. The clear standout.
Substitutes:
- Pablo Fornals (on for Alvarez, 54′) – 6: Slotted into midfield and helped see the game out comfortably.
- Divin Mubama, Danny Ings, Maxwel Cornet (on for Paqueta, Bowen and Kudus, 72-88′) – N/A: Not on long enough to make an impact. Huffed and puffed but gave the ball away a few times, understandable given their lack of minutes.
Manager David Moyes – 8: Got his tactics and selection spot on. West Ham pressed high, moved the ball quickly and attacked with purpose. A refreshing change that had the fans fully behind the team. Much better from Moyes.
Analysis
This was a hugely impressive all-round performance from West Ham to overturn a first leg deficit and emphatically book their place in the Europa League quarter-finals. David Moyes deserves credit for the way he set his team up – on the front foot, pressing high and moving the ball with pace and precision[9]. It was in stark contrast to some of the turgid, overly-cautious displays that have frustrated Hammers fans at times this season and drawn criticism of the manager’s style of play.
With West Ham currently occupying a European qualification spot in the Premier League, Moyes has once again shown his prowess at getting results in continental competition. In the last three seasons, he has delivered a European trophy, a semi-final and now at least a quarter-final[9]. Many clubs would dream of such a run of success. While the football may not always be free-flowing, it is effective, especially against European opposition.
On this occasion, West Ham were positive from the outset and blew Freiburg away with the quality of their attacking play. The midfield trio of Edson Alvarez, Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse provided a solid platform, winning tackles and moving the ball quickly to the forward players. Jarrod Bowen was a constant menace, scoring a brilliant individual goal and assisting another. Lucas Paqueta bounced back from a poor outing at Fulham with an important early strike.
But the star of the show was undoubtedly Mohammed Kudus. The Ghanaian winger has been a revelation since joining from Ajax in the summer and this was his best performance yet in a West Ham shirt. His two goals were both magnificent solo efforts, showcasing his dribbling ability, directness and composure in front of goal[9]. Kudus looks a real gem of a signing and if he maintains this form, could be the difference-maker as the Hammers chase success on multiple fronts in the final months of the campaign.
Keeping a clean sheet was also a welcome boost for a defense that has looked shaky of late. Freiburg rarely threatened Lukasz Fabianski’s goal and when they did, the experienced keeper was equal to the task, making a couple of smart saves. Vladimir Coufal and Aaron Cresswell provided good width from full-back, while Nayef Aguerd and Konstantinos Mavropanos dealt well with Freiburg’s sporadic attacks.
Overall, this was a hugely satisfying night’s work for West Ham. They were dominant in all departments, scored some wonderful goals and kept things tight at the back. The 5-0 scoreline did not flatter them and sends out a real statement of intent to the rest of the teams left in the Europa League. With the likes of Kudus, Bowen and Paqueta in this kind of form, and Declan Rice still to return from injury, the Hammers will fancy their chances of going deep in the competition once again.
Attention now turns back to the Premier League and Sunday’s home clash with Nottingham Forest. Moyes will demand his players maintain the same levels of intensity and quality as they look to cement a top six finish. If they can perform like they did against Freiburg on a consistent basis, West Ham could be set for an exciting end to the season with glory still a possibility on two fronts. The challenge now is to use this result as a springboard and catalyst to kick on. The London Stadium will believe anything is possible if Moyes can get his team playing with this kind of verve and attacking intent more regularly.
Citations:
[1] https://www.espn.com/soccer/match//gameId/687647/tsc-backa-topola-west-ham-united [2] https://www.claretandhugh.info/sc-freiburg-1-west-ham-0-player-ratings/ [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMl1ETSaH34 [4] https://www.espn.com/soccer/match//gameId/668521/west-ham-united-fiorentina
[5] https://www.hammers.news/match-report/west-ham-player-ratings-vs-freiburg-star-boy-shines-as-david-moyes-finds-the-answer/
[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33t98gUD9P0
[7] https://worldsoccertalk.com/results/soccer/match/uefa-europa-league/966c36c5-0dd4-4d07-827e-8a8a4275e50d
[8] https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/west-ham-player-ratings-vs-freiburg-2023-europa-league-b1111687.html
[9] https://www.skysports.com/football/west-ham-vs-freiburg/report/503838
[10] https://www.eurosport.com/football/uefa-europa-conference-league/2022-2023/live-west-ham-united-az_mtc1353122/live.shtml
[11] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJUCgaPjbnA
[12] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0DCTFcVAJ4
[13] https://en.as.com/resultados/futbol/europa_league/2023_2024/directo/grupos_a_6_461404/
[14] https://www.westhamzone.com/comment/edson-alvarez-masterclass-emerson-stinks-out-london-stadium-west-ham-united-player-ratings-v-sc-freiburg/
[15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_UEFA_Europa_Conference_League_final
[16] https://the4thofficial.net/2024/03/soucek-and-bowen-get-7-west-ham-united-players-rated-in-narrow-loss-vs-freiburg/
[17] https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/match/2039282–west-ham-vs-freiburg/
[18] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNOfsquhZDM
[19] https://www.eurosport.com/football/europa-league/2023-2024/live-west-ham-united-olympiacos_mtc1459849/live-commentary.shtml
[20] https://dubsports.net/sc-freiburg-1-0-west-ham-freiburg-claim-victory-over-west-ham-as-hammers-suffer-late-penalty-controversy/
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