Europa Conference League: A clash ensued between West Ham players and a section of AZ Alkmaar fans, who had targeted an area where the players’ friends and family were present to watch the Europa Conference League semi-final second leg. Follow all football updates live with InsideSport.IN
Following their qualification for the final, players such as Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma attempted to intervene and diffuse the situation.
West Ham vs AZ Alkmaar: Extremely violent Alkmaar fans
According to Alistair Bruce-Ball, a BBC commentator present at the stadium, he witnessed instances of physical altercations initiated by the AZ fans, involving punches being thrown.
“These are awful scenes,” he said. “Some fans clad in dark coats and hoods up came racing down in front of the lower tier of the stand to voice their dissatisfaction, and there is trouble to our right-hand side.“
“The concern here is I think the West Ham family members and friends are in that section. Those are very, very unpleasant scenes.
“The West Ham players are being held back. I can see in the distance punches being thrown.”
Europa Conference League Semis: West Ham Enter the Finals
West Ham has secured a spot in a European club competition final for the first time in nearly 50 years. They achieved this through a 2-1 victory in the first leg held in London last week and a last-minute 1-0 triumph in the return leg against their Dutch opponents.
On June 7, West Ham will face Fiorentina in the final, which will take place in Prague. Despite appearing fatigued and spending much of the match chasing their opponents, West Ham displayed resilient defending and managed to hold off their rivals.
In the dying moments of the game, with West Ham already playing defensively to run down the clock, Fornals broke away in the fourth minute of stoppage time to secure the victory.
AZ showcased bravery in their performance, but the disparity in quality between the Premier League team and the Dutch side was evident as West Ham successfully dealt with the challenges presented by their opponents.
In the 74th minute, Jarrod Bowen had a breakaway opportunity, but his pass in search of a teammate was cleared. Meanwhile, at the other end of the field, there was a tense moment when Areola made a crucial clearance after a back pass from Thilo Kehrer seemed destined for an own goal.
Defender Nayef Aguerd missed a golden chance at the back post with seven minutes remaining before the dramatic last-minute winning goal.
Words from the manager
“I can’t explain what happened and why it happened,” Moyes said. “I can only say the players were involved because it was the family section and most of their family and friends were in there. That was probably the reason for the reaction.“
“What we don’t want to do is in any way blight the night because it certainly wasn’t West Ham supporters looking for trouble,” Moyes said. “Hopefully they’ll look into it.”
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