Jarrod Bowen scored a late winner as West Ham beat Fiorentina in a tense Europa Conference League final to lift their first major trophy in 43 years.
It appeared as though extra-time would be needed to separate the English and Italian sides after Giacomo Bonaventura cancelled out Said Benrahma’s second-half penalty.
But Bowen scored a dramatic winner in the final minute of normal time following a brilliant Lucas Paqueta through ball to secure West Ham’s first major trophy since 1980.
Violence broke out in Prague on the day of the final and there were more unsavoury scenes during the match, which was halted for several minutes during the first half after a Fiorentina player was hit by an object thrown by a West Ham supporter.
It was tense and cagey on the pitch but West Ham edged out Fiorentina to end the season in style and qualify for next year’s Europa League.
Fiorentina dominated possession without creating many clear-cut chances during a low-key opening 45 minutes, with West Ham occasionally threatening from set-pieces – their captain Declan Rice dragging wide a rare shot on goal.
The flow of the match was not helped by a stoppage of several minutes after an object thrown from the crowd hit Fiorentina’s Cristiano Biraghi as he prepared to take a corner and caused a nasty cut to his head.
Fiorentina, who finished eighth in Serie A, did have the ball in the back of the net on the stroke of half-time but Luka Jovic was correctly flagged for offside.
The cagey nature of the match continued after the break but West Ham were handed a golden chance to take the lead after Biraghi was adjudged to have handled the ball after a VAR check.
Said Benrahma sent Fiorentina goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano the wrong way, sparking wild celebrations from the West Ham fans inside the Fortuna Arena.
But the celebrations were short-lived as Fiorentina equalised less than five minutes later through Giacomo Bonaventura, who rifled home following a knockdown.
The momentum was suddenly with the Italians and Rolando Mandragora looked set to put Fiorentina ahead, only to shoot wide from inside the box.
Both teams had half chances towards the end of the match – Tomas Soucek’s header was palmed wide and Sofyan Amrabat had a long-range effort saved – but extra-time beckoned on a tense night in Prague.
But a moment of brilliance from Paqueta sent Bowen through on goal and the England winger slotted home the winner, handing West Ham a first European trophy in 58 years.
More to follow…
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