West Ham 3-1 Viborg: Hammers open up a two-goal lead in Europa Conference League play-off

On Aug 18, 2022

They combined for a first goal, from their first chance, on their first start, to put West Ham on course for a first win of the season.

David Moyes didn’t spend nearly £50million on Gianluca Scamacca and Maxwel Cornet for the Europa Conference League qualifying against Viborg of Denmark.

But this will do for starters. Particularly after two defeats. Particularly as scars from last season’s run to the Europa League semi-finals remain.

MATCH FACTS AND PLAYER RATINGS

West Ham (4-2-3-1): Alphonse Areola 6.5; Harrison Ashby 6, Ben Johnson 6, Angelo Ogbonna 6.5 (Kehrer 66, 6), Vladimir Coufal 6.5; Conor Coventry 6.5 (Downes 85, 6), Tomas Soucek 6; Jarrod Bowen 7.5 (Benrahma 66, 7), Manuel Lanzini 6 (Fornals 45, 6), Maxwel Cornet 7; Gianluca Scamacca 7 (Antonio 67, 7)

Subs not used: Nathan Trott, Darren Randolph, Kurt Zouma, Jamal Baptiste, Daniel Chesters, Pierre Ekwah, Armstrong Okoflex

Goals: Scamacca 23, Bowen 64, Antonio 78

Moyes, Declan Rice and Aaron Creswell were all suspended here following that defeat, for crimes including accusations of corruption and kicking a ball at a ball boy.

Without them, there were opportunities for youngsters such as Harrison Ashby and a return as captain for Angelo Ogbonna, who had been out since last November following knee surgery.

This also afforded the West Ham fans – those few thousand lured here by the Conference League and slightly cheaper beers – a first sighting of defender Thilo Kehrer off the bench.

He joined from PSG on Thursday. And a first proper glimpse of Cornet and Scamacca at the London Stadium.

Midway through the first half a cross from Cornet, signed for £17.5m from Burnley, found the head of Scamacca, who cost around £30m from Sassuolo and netted his first goal for the club. And West Ham’s first all season.

Their second came through Jarrod Bowen’s second-half drive, their third courtesy of Michail Antonio, who calmed West Ham nerves after Jakob Bonde’s header had briefly given Viborg hope.

And so West Ham carry a two-goal lead into next week’s second leg. Viborg were already two men down before landing in England – neither

Ibrahim Said nor Alassana Jatta could travel due to post-Brexit visa issues. For West Ham, meanwhile, no Rice after his rant at the referee. No Creswell after his red card in Frankfurt. Not many supporters, either. Moyes sat among them, confined to a box after his run-in with that ball boy.

Alas, no freebies or expensive vantage point could disguise what was unfolding below. For 45 minutes, this was dreadful.

Even with an away end abuzz with topless Danes enjoying their first Euro trip for more than two decades. They would not be silenced by

Scamacca’s header or by Bowen’s brilliant strike from outside the box. They were buoyed by Bonde’s header, which shifted the mood around this place until substitute Antonio restored West Ham’s advantage, turning the ball home from close range after good work down the flank by fellow replacement Said Benrahma.