West Ham lift first major trophy in 43 years after late Bowen heroics | OneFootball

West Ham etched some European history on Wednesday after a 2-1 win over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final.

Scorer: Bonaventura 67′; Benrahma 62′ (P), Bowen 90′

This match got off to a cagey start in Prague as both sides hoped to make up for decades without lifting a title.

Little occurred in the opening half, leading fans to take centre stage when empty beer cups were thrown on the pitch and injured Fiorentina’s Cristiano Biraghi. The captain’s head was cracked open and heavily bleeding, but he remained fit to play.

And to make the first half even more miserable for the Italian side, they thought they had the opener when Luka Jović forced the ball over the line past goalkeeper Alphonse Areola but it was ruled out due to offside.

Manager Vincenzo Italiano later gambled by hauling the Serbian striker off for Arthur Cabral. It’s another poor showing for Jović, who missed a handful of chances in the Coppa Italia final loss to Inter.

Without the injured Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio completing zero passes during the opening 30 minutes, David Moyes’ side also needed to step up. A second VAR intervention then led to the breakthrough.

Jarrod Bowen’s movement in the box saw Biraghi commit a handball and after a penalty was initially dismissed, Saïd Benrahma was allowed to step up and smashed home for 1-0.

The lead wouldn’t last for long, though, as La Viola struck back in the blink of an eye seeing the match burst into life with roughly 20 minutes to go.

Some brilliant close control skills from Giacomo Bonaventura caught West Ham sleeping and he equalised in style to keep things interesting.

True chances for a late winner were few and far between as extra time lingered. That was until, out of nowhere, Bowen was the game-changer again.

The Englishman found himself through on a breakaway, looked up briefly, and slotted home the winner in the 90th minute. It was his fifth goal of the competition and 13th overall this season to go alongside his nine assists.

The result means West Ham lifted their first major trophy in 43 years and captain Declan Rice could bow out a hero if he does leave the club this summer.

Fiorentina’s wait for glory, meanwhile, continues after falling short in two finals in the same season.