Thomas Soucek and Andriy Yarmolenko’s goals were enough for The Hammers to knock out the six-time Europa League winners, Sevilla
The game was arguably the club’s biggest home game since moving to the new London stadium in 2016 and the magnitude of the occasion could be felt at the ground.
Yarmolenko has been on leave as he was given some time off to try and deal with the trauma of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
The 32-year-old forward made a goalscoring return against Aston Villa in the Premier League and continued that form against Sevilla, coming on as a substitute for Said Benrahma in the second half. He converted a rebound after Pablo Fornals’ low shot was saved.
One-nil down at the start of play, West Ham simply would not be denied. “We were massive,” manager David Moyes said.
“We played with great passion. It’s not just Yarmolenko. It was the team. His message and his name will be heard all round Europe. But the story is not just about Yarmolenko. The story was about West Ham.”
Moyes will be in charge of a Europa League quarter-final for the first time in his career. He has, however, managed in the Champions League quarter-finals before in 2014.
The East London club also became the first English side to beat Sevilla in the competition.
Sevilla had won the first leg at home last week. Munir El Haddadi was the sole scorer for the Spanish club to hand them a narrow 1-0 win.
Sevilla, who were boosted by the return of Thomas Delaney, Ivan Rakitic and Anthony Martial, had their chances. Youssef En-Nesryi had the best of them, forcing Alphonse Areola to make a superb save at 0-0.
West Ham become the first English team to beat Sevilla in this competition. ⚒️#UEL pic.twitter.com/4HRGujJYNO
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) March 17, 2022
West Ham remain the only English club in the competition with momentum firmly with them. The draw for the Quarter-Finals takes place on Friday afternoon and with the sort of form they are in, the Hammers will definitely be backing themselves against the remaining opponents.
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