West Ham United v Eintracht Frankfurt Live Commentary & Result, 4/28/22, UEFA Europa League

Thanks for joining our commentary this evening. Until next time, goodbye.

West Ham are back in Premier League action on Sunday against Arsenal on home soil. Eintracht Frankfurt play again on Monday against Bayer Leverkusen on the road in the Bundesliga.

Eintracht Frankfurt have beaten West Ham 2-1 in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final clash at London Stadium, taking a narrow lead back to Germany for the second leg next week. The vistors enjoyed the perfect start to the game when Ansgar Knauff headed home Rafael Borre's cross after 49 seconds. The Hammers responded through Michail Antonio, but Frankfurt regained the advantage in the second half through Daichi Kamada as he scored from close range. Kamada nearly notched a third for Oliver Glasner's men, only to be denied by the post. Jarrod Bowen had no luck in front of goal himself for West Ham, striking the post in the first half and the bar in stoppage time in the second from an overhead kick. As a result, David Moyes' men have work ahead of them in the second leg to keep their hopes of reaching the final alive.

90' + 4' FULL-TIME: WEST HAM UNITED 1-2 EINTRACHT FRANKFURT

90' + 4' There is one last chance for West Ham as Antonio throws the ball long into the box. He tries to target Soucek, but Trapp comes off his line to make the claim.

R. Ache

R. Borré

90' + 3' Ache comes on for the closing stages to replace Borre, who produced a delightful assist in the first minute.

90' + 2' BOWEN IS DENIED A SCREAMER BY THE BAR! The forward comes within inches of an equaliser as he produces an acrobatic overhead kick from Rice's cross into the middle. Bowen connects perfectly on his left foot and beats Trapp, but the ball clatters off the bar and bounces clear. Bowen has not had the luck in front of goal tonight.

90' There will be three minutes of added time.

89' OVER! Benrahma raid down the left flank and floats a cross into the box that Bowen attacks, but Toure gets enough on his block to divert his header over the bar.

86' Time is running out for the Hammers to force the issue. They put in a great performance on the road in the quarter-finals, but will not want to give themselves too much of an uphill task next week.

84' West Ham are not making set-pieces count as another delivery from Creswell from a corner is cleared by the visitors. The German outfit have been resolute at the back.

82' Bowen takes the resulting free-kick himself, but bends his left-footed cross straight into the hands of Trapp.

M. Hinteregger

Yellow Card

81' Bowen goes down under pressure from Hinteregger and wins a free-kick for the home side on the right flank. The Frankfurt defender is booked for his challenge.

D. Sow

Yellow Card

79' Sow brings down Soucek from behind with a late lunge and goes into the book.

79' OFF THE POST! Kamada collects on the left flank and cuts inside to shoot on his right foot. He bends his effort away from Areola, only to see the ball strike the post and bounce clear. Frankfurt were inches away from a two-goal advantage.

77' CHANCE! West Ham look to capitalise as Hinteregger stays down following a challenge by Antonio. Rice feeds Benrahma in space down the inside-left channel, but he blazes his effort well wide of the target. Rode is furious after the fact as the Hammers played on.

76' Cresswell bursts into space down the left flank and has options in the middle. He drills a low ball across the face of goal, but Hinteregger is well placed to clear.

73' Frankfurt have space to exploit on the counter. If the German side can use the room to their advantage they could take an insurmountable lead in the tie.

71' The Hammers are struggling to click in the final third in the second half. Other than a couple of effort from distance, Moyes' men have been underwhelming.

68' CLOSE! Rice fails to beat the first man with his cross, but the ball is worked out to Benrahma 25 yards from goal. He connects with a curling strike that soars towards goal and has Trapp beaten, but it drifts inches wide of the right post.

67' Knauff brings down Benrahma on the left flank and the referee awards a free-kick in a dangerous position to the hosts.

S. Benrahma

M. Lanzini

66' Benrahma enters the action for the home side to replace Lanzini in the final third.

66' WIDE! Fornals latches on to a header from Antonio in the Frankfurt box, but he scuffs his effort on the half-volley harmlessly wide of the left post. It would have taken a good attempt to beat Trapp from that position anyway.

64' Rice rises highest in the box to clear Kostic's cross into the box before Bowen wins a free-kick for the hosts to ease the pressure.

63' Zouma brings down Borre in the West Ham half, handing Frankfurt a free-kick in a dangerous position.

J. Hauge

J. Lindstrøm

62' Hauge replaces Lindstrom for the visitors in the final third.

59' Antonio probes down the left flank and wins a corner, but the delivery from Lanzini is straight into the hands of Trapp.

58' West Ham have it all to do again. They've paid the price for their slow start and need to dig themselves out of trouble.

56' Kamada has scored 11 goals in 21 appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt in Europe, with only Bernd Holzenbein (18), Tony Yeboah (12) and Bernd Nickel (12) scoring more goals for the club in major European competition (excluding qualifiers).

D. Kamada

Goal

54' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!! KAMADA CONVERTS FROM CLOSE RANGE!!!!!! 2-1 FRANKFURT!!!!! The German outfit regain the lead as Kamada turns home a rebound from six yards. Sow opens up the West Ham defence as he plays a one-two with Lindstrom to advance into the inside-left channel. The midfielder tries to place his effort into the corner, but Areola makes a stop. However, the rebound falls to Kamada, who finds the net with a left-footed finish.

52' Frankfurt have enjoyed a strong start to the half and the home side are having a tough time breaking out of their own half.

49' WIDE! Antonio clips a cross back to Soucek on the edge of the Frankfurt box. The midfielder has space and time, but slices his volley wide of the left post.

48' Lindstrom tries to weave his way past Cresswell in the inside-right channel, but the full-back halts his progress with a solid challenge.

46' We're back under way at London Stadium.

David Moyes will be pleased with how his side responded to the early setback and found an equaliser. The Hammers have not been outstanding, but they were starting to edge the contest before the break. Frankfurt have been lively on the break, but need to capitalise on the counter when given the opportunity in the second half.

It's all square at the break in the first leg Europa League semi-final clash between West Ham and Eintracht Frankfurt. Ansgar Knauff handed the visitors a perfect start when headed them in front in the first minute. However, the Hammers responded through Michail Antonio, and could have well been ahead had Jarrod Bowen found the net rather than the post before Antonio's leveller.

45' + 1' HALF-TIME: WEST HAM 1-1 EINTRACHT FRANKFURT

45' There will be one minute of added time.

45' Bowen feeds Soucek in the inside-right channel and he goes for a strike that Hinteregger does well to divert behind on the stretch.

42' Tuta brings down Antonio on the left flank to concede a free-kick. Cresswell goes for an offload into the left-inside channel for Rice rather than a cross into the box. However, the midfielder is forced backwards and the eventual cross travels out for a goal-kick as Soucek cannot guide Fornals' delivery on target.

39' CHANCE! Borre releases Knauff behind the West Ham defence on the counter with a sublime pass. Cresswell does well to slide it away from the wing-back, but Areola commits and fails to gather the loose ball. Knauff gets there first and turns, but fires his effort wide of the right post.

37' Tuta makes a vital block to prevent Antonio from finding Lanzini in the box following a mistake at the back by Toure.

36' All 59 of Antonio’s goals for West Ham have been scored from inside the box, with 29 of those coming on home soil (22 at the London Stadium & 7 at Upton Park).

35' OVER! Kostic is played into space down the left flank by Lindstrom and he lines up a drive from 25 yards that he sends well over the bar.

34' The balance of the game is shifting one way then the other. It has been a very even contest between the two sides.

32' Antonio has scored 11 goals for West Ham in all competitions this term, his best goalscoring season for the Hammers and his best in English football since 2014-15 with Nottingham Forest (15).

30' Kostic cannot follow up his good cross with another as fails to beat Rice and then Bowen, who takes a blow in a sensitive area. Knauff then lines up a delivery that is deflected into the hands of Areola.

29' Kostic causes problems down the left flank with an accurate cross that hits Cresswell on the knee and travels behind for a corner.

26' Kostic plays Kamada into space down the inside-left channel where he turns Dawson inside and out. He goes for a cutback rather than a strike at goal, which Zouma deflects behind for a corner.

23' West Ham have found their confidence on the pitch after their disappointing start and are now starting to apply real pressure on the visitors.

K. Zouma

Assist

21' Zouma rises to attack Lanzini's cross into the box and guides his header into the path of Antonio to convert.

M. Antonio

Goal

21' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!! ANTONIO LEVELS FOR WEST HAM!!!!!!! 1-1!!!! The Hammers notch their equaliser as Antonio steers home a strike from close range. Lanzini delivers a fine cross into the box from a free-kick that Zouma attacks. He nods the ball across the face of goal where Antonio is in the right place to guide a right-footed strike past Trapp.

21' Lanzini wins a free-kick for the home side after being brought down by Lindstrom. West Ham send men forward from the back to attack the set-piece.

19' Lindstrom rises to connect with a header from Kostic's cross from the left flank, but he sends a tame effort straight into the hands of Areola.

18' Johnson angles a cross to the back post from the right flank for the run of Fornals. He tries to steer it back across the face of goal from a tight angle, but Knauff diverts it behind.

17' Antonio surges down the left flank with a good run, and wins a throw-in to provide further encouragement for the home fans.

14' OFF THE POST! BOWEN HAS TO SCORE! Soucek threads the needle to release the forward through on goal with only Trapp to beat. He fires low on his left foot past the Frankfurt keeper, but sees his effort hit the post before bouncing clear. Bowen may rue that opportunity.

13' West Ham have not been able to settle into the game after their shocking start. The home side need to build a rhythm to break back into the contest.

11' Johnson raids down the right flank and delivers a cross into the box, but Hinteregger is on hand to clear for the visitors.

9' Knauff almost breaks in behind the West Ham defence again from Rode's offload, but Areola is sharp off his line to smother at the feet of the wing-back.

6' Frankfurt are unbeaten in seven matches in the Europa League this season after taking the lead, winning four of the contests.

4' Bowen goes down under Sow's challenge, handing the home side a free-kick. Lanzini lifts a cross into the box, but it just skims off the top of Soucek's head out for a goal-kick.

3' West Ham look for a response and Antonio finds space down the left flank, but no one can latch on to his ball across the face of goal.

R. Borré

Assist

1' Borre is afforded space and time in the final third before he supplies a delightful cross to the back post for Knauff to score.

A. Knauff

Goal

1' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!! WHAT A START FOR FRANKFURT!!!!!!! KNAUFF HEADS HOME!!!!! 1-0!!!! The visitors take the lead in the first minute as Knauff coasts in at the back post to plant a header past Areola. Borre does brilliantly in the final third to arc a cross into the box from the left flank. Knauff gambles and raids past Fornals to nod his effort into the top-left corner. London Stadium is stunned.

1' We're under way at London Stadium.

Frankfurt are the fourth side to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League still unbeaten having partaken in the group stages – two of the previous three went on to lift the trophy (Villarreal in 2020-21 and Chelsea in 2018-19), with only Liverpool in 2015-16 not ultimately winning the competition.

Frankfurt have made two changes to their side from their draw against Hoffenheim in their last outing. N'Dicka is suspended for the contest following his dismissal against Barca and is replaced in the backline by Toure. Kristijan Jakic also misses out due to suspension, which sees Sow start in the middle of the park alongside Rode.

West Ham have made six changes to their side from their defeat against Chelsea last time out. Areola returns in goal for Europa League duties to replace Fabianski. Cresswell, Rice, Bowen, Antonio and Lanzini also come back into the side after being rested against the Blues. Noble, Yarmolenko, Coufal, Benrahma and Masuaku all drop to the bench.

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT SUBS: Ajdin Hrustic, Sam Lammers, Makoto Hasebe, Ragnar Ache, Timothy Chandler, Jens Hauge, Danny da Costa, Christopher Lenz, Aymen Barkok, Jens Grahl, Goncalo Paciencia, Jannik Horz.

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT (3-4-3): Kevin Trapp; Tuta, Martin Hinteregger, Almamy Toure; Ansgar Knauff, Djibril Sow, Sebastian Rode, Filip Kostic; Jesper Lindstrom, Rafael Borre, Daichi Kamada.

WEST HAM SUBS: Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal, Andriy Yarmolenko, Nikola Vlasic, Mark Noble, Said Benrahma, Ryan Fredericks, Arthur Masuaku, Alex Kral, Darren Randolph, Ajibola Alese, Daniel Chesters.

WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Alphonse Areola; Ben Johnson, Craig Dawson, Kurt Zouma, Aaron Cresswell; Tomas Soucek, Declan Rice; Jarrod Bowen, Manuel Lanzini, Pablo Fornals; Michail Antonio.

Frankfurt were equally brilliant to defeat Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the competition, stunning the Catalan club on the road. After drawing the first leg 1-1, a brace from Filip Kostic and a Rafael Borre strike put the German side in dreamland. Late goals from Sergio Busquets and Memphis Depay along with the dismissal of Obite N'Dicka made the final minutes tense, but Oliver Glasner's men held out to advance. Since their triumph, Frankfurt have lost to Union Berlin and drawn with Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, and are need of a return to their top form tonight.

The Hammers have been outstanding in the competition to reach the last four, defeating Sevilla and Lyon in their last two rounds. David Moyes' men were sensational on the road to defeat the French outfit, securing a 3-0 win courtesy of goals from Craig Dawson, Jarrod Bowen and Declan Rice. West Ham will be looking for a similar performance tonight, although their form since their win in Lyon has been patch after drawing with Burnley and conceding late to lose to Chelsea last time out.

Good evening and welcome to the live commentary of the Europa League semi-final first leg clash between West Ham and Eintracht Frankfurt at London Stadium.

West Ham United v Eintracht Frankfurt Live Commentary, 4/28/22

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