The West Ham ten failed to reach the first major European final in 46 years, as they were defeated 1-0 by Eintracht Frankfurt in Thursday’s rematch of the Europa League semi-final, losing a 3-1 draw overall.
Aaron Creswell was sent off 19 minutes after VAR intervened to deny a goal, before unmarked Rafael Santos Bore opened the scoring at close range (26) to increase Frankfurt’s overall lead.
West Ham manager David Moyes was also sent off after angrily kicking a ball at a boy in the 78th minute after watching his team struggle to recover from a man.
Explaining his dismissal, Moyes said, “I have to apologize for kicking the ball, but the boy with the ball left it short and was good at will for me.”
Frankfurt, who remain undefeated in the Europa League, will play Rangers – which beat RB Leipzig 3-2 overall – in the final on May 18 in Seville.
The last whistle showed scenes of jubilation as thousands of Frankfurt fans poured into the pitch and police had to step in to ensure the situation remained calm.
West Ham’s European journey ends disappointingly
Frankfurt’s colossal defender Martin Hinteger was expelled within seven minutes of suffering a suspected hamstring injury and was replaced by Almami Toure.
His departure left Frankfurt looking nervous until Cresswell was expelled.
Team news
- Vladimir Kufal retained his starting position at right back, while Ben Johnson had to settle for a place on the bench as he returned from injury
- Evan N’Dika returns to defend Eintracht Frankfurt in place of Almami Toure after serving his sentence
- Jens Peter Hauge replaced Jesper Lindström on the right wing
The West Ham defender, who was shown red against Lyon in the quarter-finals, was caught by a long ball from above to Jens Peter Hauge.
Unable to track the ball’s flight, isolated Cresswell grabbed the Frankfurt striker before pulling him down without any of his West Ham teammates covering for him.
The referee had no doubts and he gave a penalty in favor of VAR.
Just seven minutes later, Frankfurt realized their numerical advantage, as Ansgar Knauf, the top scorer in the first match, became Bore’s provider with a smooth cut, in which the striker was completely uncovered on the edge of the penalty area and he ended easily.
West Ham, who lost their way after the expulsion, was agonizing near an equalizer the night before the break when Kurt Zuma’s shot – after a free kick by Jarod Bowen – was cleared from the line by defender Evan N’Dick, a Manchester United goal. and Newcastle.
The Premier League team threw everything they could in Frankfurt in the second half, but they failed to gain any advantage in the last third and eventually got tired.
Disappointment spilled over into the final stages when Moyes was sent off after kicking a ball against a boy with a ball, after realizing that the ball took a long time to return to him. His actions provoked scenes of rage from the bench in Frankfurt, and he received his marching orders, leaving the field without protest.
There was a late chance for West Ham in the 90th minute, as Soucek was raised on the back post from a set just for the midfielder to hit his head on a deeply disappointing night for the Hammers.
“Gutted” rice, angry with the referee
West Ham midfielder Declan Rice was angry at the refereeing of Jesus Gil Manzano and thought the referee’s decisions were in Frankfurt’s favor, but accepting Cresswell’s red card was fair.
Rice, who appears to have received a yellow card for something he told the referee, told BT Sport: “The red card was the right decision.
It seems that the judge made every decision for them and when you have someone against you, you can’t do much.
Despite his clear disappointment and anger, Rice was pleased with his country’s performance and promised to return.
“We’re gutted, we’ve come this far as a band,” Rice added. “We gave everything this year, you know we are not the biggest team and we will continue to play week after week, over 50 games per season after last year.
“I am also proud. To get down to 10 people and score this shift, many teams would leave and lose by three or four. The way we tried to defend ourselves and move forward with a man less emphasizes everything West Ham is about.
“We will fight to the end.”
Moyes: We enjoyed the EL, but not the refereeing
David Moyes was also saddened by the referee’s presentation, saying that “we were happy to take part in the competition, I don’t know if we enjoyed the refereeing”.
Asked if there were any red card complaints, Moyes told BT Sport: “I have a lot of complaints, yes.”
Asked about his expulsion, Moyes said: “I kicked the ball back to the boy with the ball, so I apologize for that, but he threw it very softly at me.”
He added: “I’m really disappointed. Things did not work out for us during the night. Little things didn’t happen, but I’m really proud of the players. How they played with 10 men was fantastic. They stayed in it. Other teams would fold and lose two or three. The boys here are great. Difficult boys.
“I thought we tried. We created chances. I thought we had a better chance than Frankfurt. But we congratulate them. They pass, we do not and we give them our best wishes.
“I do not feel any of this [pride] now. I’m just disappointed because I felt it was a chance. We played better teams than probably Frankfurt. To be honest, we probably lost the game in the first 30 seconds at the stadium in London when we allowed. We’ve been chasing the game ever since.
“We enjoyed the race. I’m not sure we enjoyed the refereeing. We have a pretty good team, so I think we can try again. We will be a little wiser and I hope to do it more often.
West Ham match schedule
Sunday – Norwich (a) Premier League
May 15 – Manchester City (h) Premier League, live on Sky Sports
May 22 – Brighton (a) Premier League
What’s next for West Ham?
May 15, Sunday, 1:00 p.m. Start 14:00 p.m.
West Ham travel to the relegated Norwich on Sunday as they seek to resume their efforts to rank in the top 6 in the Premier League after four games without a win in the country, losing three of them. The Hammers host the Manchester City leader next Sunday, live on Sky Sports, while the guests are chasing a third consecutive title.
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