WESTFALENSTADION — The West Ham supporters travelled to Frankfurt still believing. Sevilla has convinced them that they could beat anyone. Lyon had convinced them that they could dominate away from home. But in the cracks and bangs of one of Europe’s best atmospheres, they sank without trace.
Ten men chasing the ball, growing increasingly fatigued while their hosts enjoyed near-total control – it wasn’t meant to end like this and it isn’t just mawkish sentiment to say so.
There will be regret at the demise itself. Eintracht Frankfurt are technically proficient and made the most of their chances in both legs, but they are not as good as Sevilla. West Ham beat the best team in the competition and didn’t win it.
But the greatest lament will be saved for the manner of their exit, entirely self-inflicted. The first mistake was individual: Aaron Cresswell could have complaints about his red card against Lyon in the quarter-finals, but it should have taught him at least that if he misjudged a duel and lost his man he’d be far better off giving up the battle. This was far more blatant, even if it required a VAR check.
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Difficult approached impossible with Rafael Borre’s simple finish seven minutes later. Again he found too much space from a simple pass in the penalty area.
In the press box, two German journalists immediately nipped downstairs and returned with plastic cups of beer. This midweek has seen one miraculous comeback against English opposition; they weren’t expecting another.
Outside of that seven minutes, West Ham were still a little limp, surprisingly second gear. Tomas Soucek swapping roles with Declan Rice has allowed Rice to flourish but makes Soucek look a little one-dimensional.
Moyes had also clearly instructed his side to launch direct passes to Michail Antonio, who was too often isolated. That was perfectly forgivable with one man fewer, but the pattern had been established before the red card. Their frustration was demonstrated by Moyes’s own sending-off for an angry reaction to the referee.
For all of West Ham’s laments, the winners possess their own fairy tale. The four Europa League semi-finalists may have been far less glamorous and rich than their Champions league peers, but that has never been everything.
They had won only three major European trophies between them and none in the last 40 years. Desire met opportunity to create something wonderful.
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Their fifth-placed finish last season to qualify for the Europa League was their highest since 1993. Oliver Glasner, who took LASK and Wolfsburg into the Champions League before arriving in Hessen, is another next big thing of Austrian coaching. He and they deserve this.
And they were determined to enjoy their biggest night in a generation.
The Deutsche Bank is a modern bowl encased in a brutalist concrete shell, but the acoustics inside are something else. The Kurve West, with its safe-standing section, was bouncing in choreographed song 45 minutes before kick-off. No light show, no jets of fire, nothing forced; just a mass of people having the night of their lives. And that’s before the white flares, confetti parade and tifo display. It really was something special.
Eintracht will pack up that party plan and take it to Seville. There will be an insatiable demand for tickets and thousands are likely to travel through the fear of missing out on first-hand fun and being a close witness to history.
West Ham’s travelling is over for now and perhaps for who knows how long if they cede seventh spot to Wolves in the Premier League. For hours, days, maybe even a week or two, that will cause deflation.
But after that, pure pride; they have had the ride of their lives for longer than most thought likely. Andriy Yarmolenko against Sevilla, Rice against Lyon – these are the memories that hover in your daydreams for longer than is healthy.
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