November 04, (THEWILL) –Â After coming back from a goal down against a tenacious Genk team in Belgium, West Ham were denied a fourth successive Europa League victory by a late own goal from Tomas Soucek.
Said Benrahma appeared to be the night’s hero, scoring both West Ham goals in the second half but a late Genk equaliser ensured the points were split.
In their first three games of the competition, the Hammers had not conceded a single goal. However, they were caught off guard early on when Genk forward Joseph Paintsil sprinted across Issa Diop and fired past Alphonse Areola, who did get a decent hand on the shot.
In the first half, David Moyes’ side, which had been rotated, was not at its best. There were hints of what they are capable of here and there, but there was something missing.
Michail Antonio had the finest of the first-half chances, with his shot only partially saved at the conclusion of the first 45 minutes and then desperately cleared off the line as it slowly trickled towards the net.
Whatever was said in the dressing room during the break, it was better afterward.
Just before the hour mark, Moyes made a triple substitute, bringing on Jarrod Bowen, Pablo Fornals, and Soucek. Benrahma levelled the score within seconds, scooping home a low cross from Vladimir Coufal on the right.
It was all West Ham after that, and their second goal to take the lead was well deserved. Benrahma, who had been his team’s most visible threat throughout the night, weaved his way past Genk defenders on the left side of the penalty box and blasted in low at the near post.
Genk, on the other hand, got a lucky goal back in the dying minutes of the game, thanks to Soucek, who headed into his own net.
The Hammers appeared to be on their way to victory until Soucek unintentionally diverted the ball into his own net in the closing seconds while attempting to cut out with his head. A late Hammers’ rally attempted to reclaim the lead, but the game ended 2-2.
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.
