October 05, (THEWILL) – West Ham United continued their excellent form in Europe with a 2-1 victory away at Freiburg in the Europa League on Thursday evening. A brace of headers from Lucas Paqueta and Nayef Aguerd ensured the Hammers made it 17 matches unbeaten in continental competition, breaking the previous record set by Tottenham, Leeds and Manchester City.
The match was always going to be a tricky test against the free-flowing ‘Breisgau Brazilians’ in front of a loud 34,000 crowd in southern Germany. But West Ham adapted well early on and took a ninth minute lead when Paqueta powered home a header from Jarrod Bowen’s cross. They perhaps should have extended their advantage before the break, with several near misses.
Freiburg equalised soon after half-time through Roland Sallai, taking advantage of a spilled save. Yet West Ham showed resilience to immediately restore their lead just 15 minutes later, Aguerd rising to head home from a corner. Bowen spurned a great chance to wrap up the points late on, but the visitors had already done enough to seize control of Europa League Group A with two wins from two.
The result continues West Ham’s historic unbeaten run in Europe, now standing at 17 matches, and proves they can compete with the continent’s best. After reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League last season, David Moyes’ side have started this campaign strongly as they target further success.
About the Author
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.
