West Ham 1-2 Frankfurt (Antonio 21′ | Knauff 1′, Kamada 55′)
LONDON STADIUM — West Ham waited 46 years to play in a European semi-final, only to concede 49 seconds into it.
The problem with eliminating Europa League experts Sevilla, humiliating Lyon in their own back yard and progressing further in a competition than Barcelona is that expectation levels inevitably increase.
As expertly as West Ham navigated pandemic football last season, few could have predicted that they would still be battling in Europe the following May.
The fact that they are in such a position and, in Frankfurt, drew a team that appeared eminently beatable despite its heroics in Catalunya, only served to ramp up the anticipation further. A major trophy hasn’t felt this close in decades; the prospect of winning one is as intoxicating as it is terrifying.
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This time around, West Ham are flying the flag for the capital clubs on the continent. Nights like these are special because they so rarely come around. That is almost as true for Frankfurt as it is for West Ham, who after winning the Uefa Cup in 1980 had to wait 39 years to be back on the big stage when reaching this stage of the Europa League.
No surprise then that both sets of supporters were eager to make the most of it. Frankfurt’s fans – of whom there were fewer than in the Nou Camp but still plenty across two tiers of the London Stadium – responded to West Ham’s sprawling claret and blue Tifo by furiously waving gigantic black and white flags.
Neon pink pyrotechnics were sparked after each goal, leaving an Instagram filter haze over one corner of the stadium. One was dutifully removed from the pitch with a playground litter-picker. Frankfurt fans hopped frantically up and down as if attempting to avoid burning hot sand beneath their feet.
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.
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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