West Ham United will face Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final on June 7th, clinching a 3-1 aggregate victory against AZ Alkmaar in a tense second leg on Thursday. This will be the Hammers’ first major European final since their Cup Winners Cup loss against Anderlecht in 1976. Pablo Fornals scored the winner in the final moments of the game, securing West Ham’s place in the final in Prague.
In the other semi-final second leg of the competition, Fiorentina secured a dramatic 3-1 win against FC Basel. Antonin Barak’s last-gasp goal clinched the victory for the Serie A club, becoming the first team to reach the final of four major European competitions. With this triumph, Fiorentina turned around their 2-1 deficit from the first leg and overcame the Swiss team 4-3 on aggregate.
With 13 wins in 14 games in the competition this season, West Ham is favored to win the final, regardless of their opponents. Their manager, David Moyes, expressed his pleasure at the victory, proclaiming, “We’re absolutely thrilled. It’s a big achievement for the club, but now it’s about going and winning it. […] We’ve brought in a lot of international players to get better, but we’ve really struggled this season. We had to go back to what gets you wins, and thankfully we did that.”
West Ham’s victory in the semi-final was marred by fighting between fans of both teams after the game ended. A group of Alkmaar fans broke into the section holding West Ham’s 700 away supporters, prompting scenes of violence that were eventually quelled by the police and stewards.
This year’s Europa Conference League final offers a chance for both teams to end their lengthy droughts. Although Fiorentina has previously appeared in the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners’ Cup finals, they have not reached a European final since losing the 1990 UEFA Cup final against Juventus. Their only European silverware was won in the Cup Winners Cup in 1961. Meanwhile, West Ham’s last major trophy was the 1980 FA Cup. Winning the trophy would be a crowning achievement for the London team after a turbulent season that left them in 15th place in the Premier League.
