September 22, (THEWILL) – West Ham United recovered from an early setback to defeat TSC Backa Topola 3-1 in their opening Europa League group match on Thursday night.
Despite being heavy favourites, the Hammers fell behind to a Petar Stanic goal before fighting back. An own goal from Nemanja Petrovic levelled the score, before headers from Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek completed the comeback.
David Moyes’ side struggled to break down the stubborn Serbian defence in the first half, with Said Benrahma their most creative outlet. The Hammers will be relieved to get their European campaign off to a winning start, but Moyes will want an improved performance in their next game.
After losing in the Europa League semi-finals two seasons ago, West Ham are hoping for another deep run this year. However, they cannot afford many off nights like this if they are to improve on their run in Europe. Attacking reinforcements may be required if the Hammers are to seriously challenge in Europe and domestically.
A trip to Anfield to face Liverpool awaits them in the English Premier League on Sunday, just as TSC host Red Star Belgrade on the same day.
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.
