West Ham 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt (Antonio 21′ | Knauff 1′, Kamada 55′)
Two moments of defensive indecision left West Ham needing a second leg revival in Germany if they are to reach next month’s Europa League final.
Criminally, they allowed Eintracht Frankfurt to snatch the lead early in each half. David Moyes’ side managed to wrestle back the initiative with one equaliser through the tireless Michail Antonio and thought they had a second time in injury time when a spectacular Jarrod Bowen overhead kick thudded against the Frankfurt bar and bounced down to safety.
It means that West Ham now have to find a second leg performance of the same wondrous proportions that swept away Sevilla and Lyon in the previous knockout rounds if they are to reach the club’s first European final in 46 seasons.
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Daichi Kamada was allowed to advance before slipping a pass into Rafael Borre whose quick turn and curling cross was headed home by wing-back Ansgar Knauff.
Initially deflated, West Ham almost levelled when Frankfurt keeper Kevin Trapp managed to divert a Jarrod Bowen shot against the base of his post.
They did equalise after 21 minutes when Kurt Zouma headed a free-kick back across goal for Antonio to hook the ball over the line.
A sliding Aaron Cresswell challenge denied Knauff a certain second goal six minutes before the interval before, nine minutes after it, Djibril Sow played a one-two with the imaginative Jesper Lundstrom. His shot was parried brilliantly by Alphonse Areola, but rolled straight to Kamada who stroked home.
The midfielder later struck the post, while substitute Said Benrahma brought flair and impudence into West Ham’s play, especially when he curled a glorious 20-yard shot against the outside of the post.
Player ratings
West Ham (4-2-3-1): A Areola 6; B Johnson 5, C Dawson 6, K Zouma 6, A Cresswell 7; T Soucek 6, D Rice 7, P Fornals 6; J Bowen 7, M Antonio 7, M Lanzini 7
Frankfurt (3-4-2-1): K Trapp 7; Tuta 6, M Hinteregger 7, A Toure 6; A Knauff 7, D Sow 6, S Rode 7, F Kostic 6; J Lindstrom 8 (J P Hauge 62, 6), D Kamada 7; R Borre 6 (Ache 90+2, 6)
Analysis: West Ham left with work to do in Frankfurt
By Oliver Young-Myles
That these two clubs with teams on a roughly equal footing to one another put on an absorbing spectacle wasn’t a great surprise. This was as much a novelty for most of the players and coaches as it was for the fans. Endeavour and ambition were shared in equal measure: Said Benrahma nicked the far post, Daichi Kamada smacked the foot of it, Jarrod Bowen rattled the underside of the crossbar with an outrageous bicycle kick.
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Competitive as it was, Frankfurt just about handled the occasion better, scoring at critical points in the tie to quite literally burst West Ham’s bubble in the first minute and again shortly after half-time. They are in the advantageous position of having a lead to protect in front of their own next week. But West Ham are far from out of it.
Thousands will descend on Frankfurt next week, just as thousands of visitors took in the sights of Stratford. Adi Hütter’s team have performed better away than at home in Europe. David Moyes and his players have one last push for Seville. Who knows when West Ham will be back here again.
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