Eintracht Frankfurt Beat Resilient West Ham United Outfit, German Side March On to UEFA Europa League Final

• Rafael Santos Borré scored the only goal of the game as Eintracht Frankfurt beat West Ham United in the UEFA Europa League
• Aaron Cresswell was sent off in the 19th minute of the game which put West Ham United at a disadvantage for the majority of the game
• David Moyes was also sent off in the second half as frustrations boiled over with West Ham failing to score

West Ham United’s European fairy tale came crashing down in Germany.

David Moyes’ side were beaten by Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate in the semi-final of the UEFA Europa League.

The atmosphere inside the Deutsche Bank Park stadium was on another level as the German supporters spurred their team on.

West Ham looked to upset the fans and the odds going into the game but found their job even more difficult when Aaron Cresswell was sent off in the 19th minute. Cresswell, who was also sent off in the quarter-final first leg against Lyon, was shown a yellow after tangling with Jens Petter Hauge outside the box. Cresswell was the last defender. The referee was then called over to look at the pitchside monitor by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and decided to show Cresswell a red card instead.

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West Ham’s problems were compounded just seven minutes later when Rafael Santos Borré scored. Ansgar Knauff drilled in a cross from the touchline which found Borré unmarked in the box. The forward smartly found the corner of the net to put the Germans ahead and send the crowd into a frenzy.

West Ham struggled to get any momentum with 10 men but came close to scoring an equaliser before halftime. Evan Ndicka turned villain when he brought down Michail Antonio and was shown a yellow card. Jarrod Bowen whipped in the freekick which bypassed everyone and found its way to Kurt Zouma. Zouma poked it towards goal but Ndicka redeemed himself by clearing it off the line.

The German side went into the break with the lead.

West Ham started the second half on the front foot, looking to put up a fight. Craig Dawson had The Hammer’s best chance of the opening hour when his header was on target but easily saved by Kevin Trapp. West Ham continued to push forward but nothing seemed to go right for them. The frustration spread to the technical error and David Moyes was sensationally sent off as well. The West Ham manager angrily kicked a ball towards the Eintracht Frankfurt technical team and was shown a straight red for his actions. Tempers flared on the field of play as well as players had to be separated by the referee to avoid a brawl breaking out.

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The Germans also had their fair share of efforts to put the game beyond doubt but couldn’t capitalise on their chances. Antonio came close once again towards the end of the game but Trapp saved his effort. Tomáš Souček then missed a great effort from a corner, heading wide, as it was just not to be West Ham’s night.

Eintracht Frankfurt will now meet Rangers in the final of the UEFA Europa League.

Eintracht Frankfurt and West Ham United fight for a spot in the final, battle it out in UEFA Europa League

Eintracht Frankfurt are 90 minutes away from making the 2022 Europa League final. The German side holds a slim advantage from the first leg over West Ham United but knows that David Moyes' side will come out fighting.

Ansgar Knauff and Daichi Kamada found the back of the net for Frankfurt, while Michail Antonio got West Ham’s only goal in the first leg tie at the London Stadium. Jarrod Bowen went close on numerous occasions to draw The Hammers level, and the English side could be confident that they could overturn the one-goal deficit.

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West Ham United were victorious in the last two-legged European encounter between the two sides. West Ham progressed to the finals of the 1976 Cup Winners Cup as a result, Sports Brief earlier reported.