March 08, (THEWILL)- West Ham United’s hopes of securing an advantage in their UEFA Europa League last-16 tie against Freiburg were dashed as the German side clinched a 1-0 victory in the first leg at the Europa-Park Stadion on Thursday night. Despite creating numerous chances, the Hammers failed to capitalise, leaving them with an uphill task in the second leg at the London Stadium.
The visitors were guilty of missing golden opportunities, with Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta both squandering clear-cut chances to put their side ahead. Bowen, in particular, endured a frustrating evening, failing to make the most of several promising situations. Paqueta, too, was unable to convert a straightforward header from close range.
West Ham’s woes were compounded when they were denied a penalty in stoppage time. Despite a VAR review, the referee refused to award a spot-kick despite the ball appearing to strike the arm of Freiburg’s Noah Weisshaupt inside the area. The decision left the Hammers players and coaching staff incensed.
The match appeared to be heading towards a stalemate until a lapse in concentration from Edson Alvarez allowed Freiburg to capitalise. Roland Sallai’s shot from the edge of the area took a fortuitous deflection, and substitute Michael Gregoritsch was on hand to tap in the decisive goal with just minutes remaining.
Nine months after their triumphant Europa Conference League triumph in Prague, West Ham now face an uphill battle to keep their Europa League hopes alive. David Moyes’ side will need to produce a spirited performance in the second leg at the London Stadium next week to overturn the deficit and progress to the quarter-finals.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
