It’s time to wrap up tonight’s blog, but we’ll have plenty of features and reaction on the site in the next few hours. Thanks for your company and emails. Commiserations to Fiorentina; huge congratulations to David Moyes, Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen and everyone connected with West Ham United, whose 1999 Intertoto Cup victory need never be spoken of again. Goodnight!
Also, this.
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Here’s David Moyes, whose voice has almost gone
Ah, this is fantastic. I’ve had a long career in football and you don’t get many moments like this. Thankfully tonight we’ve had a great time and we got the result we wanted. [The TV director cuts to a lovely on-field embrace between Moyes and his 87-year-old father, who looks in fine fettle by the way.] It’s a great moment to have your family at the game.
West Ham is a brilliant club in the east end of London who do brilliant work in the community. It’s a great family club that’s getting stronger, and tonight’s another step on the road to continued progress.
The game probably didn’t go to plan the way we wanted. But in the end, winning finals is the important thing. This year we’ve gone unbeaten in Europe which is incredible, and last year we only lost in the semi-final. Two brilliant years in Europe – and we get another one now! We’ve got an unbelievable support.
[Is it the best day of your career?] Yeah I would have to say so. The moments you get to celebrate with your family and everybody here, and to win in the last two minutes in the game… it’s a great feeling.
More from Declan Rice
I want to give a mention to the manger. He’s been tested this year, and there was a period when a lot of the fanbase wanted him out because results weren’t great. But if you look at his time at the club: he saved us, Pellegrini came in, then he saved us again, then got us into Europe two years in a row and has now won that. He’s up there as probably West Ham’s best-ever manager now.
I’m so happy. It won’t hit me for a while. I might be in the crowd in a minute!
There’s a lot of speculation going on about my future. There is interest from other clubs, that’s out there. Ultimately I’ve still got two more years on my contract. I love this club, I love playing for this club. There’s been nothing yet so my focus is playing for West Ham, enjoying tonight and we’ll see what happens.
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This is what it means to Declan Rice
Honestly, absolutely everything. Absolutely everything. You can see everyone here. Tonight, the lads have been so on it; we had a real belief. I’m not only happy for us and the manager – I’m happy for the fans and all the staff you can see behind us. Nobody knows the work they put in: there’s chefs, player liaisons… they all do everything to make us perform. I’m just so, so happy.
When Jarrod Bowen ran through on goal I said to myself, out loud, ‘This is your time Jaz.’ And when it hits the back of the net, you don’t know what to do. I’m still in shock now! It’s incredible.
We got here two hours before the game and the stadium was full. The fans… look at them! This is what it means to us, to me. I absolutely love this club. They’ve made me one of their own. I can’t even describe what I feel when I talk about West Ham fans.
My family have been with me every step of the way. I’ve had it tough since I was a kid, I faced a lot of rejection. I’ve been on the right track because of them, and it’s so, so special that they’re here tonight.
To a lusty rendition soundtrack of Bubbles, the West Ham players go up to collect their medals. Vladimir Coufal gives the trophy a kiss as he walks past. Jarrod Bowen walks straight past it. And then the captain Declan Rice, a West Ham legend until his dying day, lifts the Europa Conference League trophy to the heavens. Now that’s how to say goodbye. (Probably.)
West Ham are 2023 UEFA Conference League champions!! ⚒️#UECLfinal pic.twitter.com/9zW9Xw6y3I
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) June 7, 2023
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Jacob Steinberg’s match report
“Can’t tell you how much that means to an East End exile of 65 years,” says Brian Withington. “Watched 64/65/66 wins in black and white, but was there with my Dad in 1975 and 1980 - never imagined we’d have to wait so long for another.”
The Fiorentina players go up to collect their medals. This is devastating for them, especially after losing the Coppa Italia final as well. They dominated much of the game and were pressing for a winner when Lucas Paqueta put Jarrod Bowen through on goal.
Delighted for West Ham & especially David Moyes.
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) June 7, 2023
Bowen & these boys are now West Ham Legends!
Premier League teams should be looking to dominate this competition. It’s not easy to win domestic trophies with Man City about, so go for it like the Hammers did!! 🏆🍺
There are scenes, and there are scenes. Nobody celebrates badly when they win a European trophy, but this is on another level – a mixture of joy, disbelief and pure gratitude. Everyone knows that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Here’s the winning goal from Jarrod Bowen, a moment that has gone straight into West Ham folklore.
UNBELIEVABLE SCENES!! 💥
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) June 7, 2023
Jarrod Bowen writes himself in West Ham history to surely clinch glory with the last kick of the game!! 🤩#UECLfinal pic.twitter.com/W2b8zqfR8W
A very weary Michail Antonio speaks
I’m usually chief organiser but we’ve got two Czech boys so I’ve had to pass over the baton today. Anything will be good tonight. As long as there’s alcohol I’m going to enjoy.
The matchwinner Jarrod Bowen speaks
[As a fan tries to get involved in the interview] Leave, leave, leave! [How does it feel?] To score the winner in the last minute? To do it in front of these fans: ptthhhht! I thought I was gonna cry. I’m just happy. We’ve had a dream. We haven’t had the best season, myself included, but to do this for these fans… I’m over the moon.
I’ve never had a feeling like this. Look at everyone, it means so much. I’m thinking of the party tonight! My dad, my brother and my two mates are on the front row… listen to this!
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The entire West Ham party charge deliriously onto the pitch – with one exception. David Moyes shakes hands with a devastated Vincenzo Italiano, and then he joins the party himself. He has the biggest smile you’ve ever seen, and now he’s dad dancing in front of the West Ham fans.
Declan Rice, beaming so much it must hurt, is dancing round with a young fan on his shoulders. Is that the kid he greeted earlier in the season? Maybe it’s a relative. Who cares. The sheer joy of these celebrations is a thing of beauty.
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Full time: Fiorentina 1-2 West Ham
West Ham have only gone and won the Europa Conference League!
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90+8 min Fiorentina have a free-kick near the halfway line. This is their last chance.
90+8 min And still they wait… There were only supposed to be five minutes of added time!
90+7 min We’re still playing, but West Ham are keeping the ball out of their area.
90+5 min Fiorentina have the ball, of course they do, they’ve had it all night. Saponara’s cross is blocked by Coufal.
90+4 min: West Ham substitution Angelo Ogbonna for Michail Antonio.
90+3 min: Fiorentina substitution Antonin Barak is on for Mandragora.
90+1 min There are five minutes of added time. Bowen wins a foul and then clenches his fist to the West Ham fans. He has been quiet for large parts of the game – but he is always a threat and he has made one and scored one.
Lucas Paqueta, who has had such a good second half, put Bowen through on goal with a brilliant early pass. Bowen timed his run immaculately, scurried to the edge of the area and sidefooted the ball through Terracciano. The keeper got a touch but he couldn’t keep it out. It’s been checked by VAR, and the goal stands!
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GOAL! Fiorentina 1-2 West Ham (Bowen 90)
David Moyes is on the pitch, and West Ham are minutes away from glory!
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89 min Igor is lucky not to be booked for a cynical foul on Antonio.
88 min Paqueta loses the ball in a really dangerous position, just outside the West Ham area on the Fiorentina left. The ball eventually comes to Amrabat, whose well-struck long-range shot is well held to his right by Areola.
86 min It’s an excellent ball in from Rice and an even better defensive header from Cabral at the near post.
86 min The free-kick is near the left touchline, almost in line with the edge of the area. Rice will take it…
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85 min Amrabat fouls Emerson needlessly down the West Ham left and is booked.
84 min: Fiorentina substitution Igor replaces Luca Ranieri at centre-back.
83 min This, unlike most finals, has become less cautious as the match progressed. Don’t be surprised if there’s a late winner before extra-time.
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81 min A free-kick from the halfway line is met by the towering Soucek on the edge of the area. His header, intended for Bowen, drifts towards goal and is pushed round by the diving Terracciano.
80 min Terracciano makes a brilliant reaction save from Soucek’s deflected shot, though it wouldn’t have counted because of an earlier foul by Antonio on Milenkovic.
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77 min Biraghi cuts inside and hits a right-footed curler from 25 yards that is well held above his head by Areola.
76 min: West Ham substitution Pablo Fornals replaces the goalscorer Said Benrahma.
76 min The resulting free-kick is headed away as far as Coufal, who shoots miles over.
75 min Milenkovic is booked for a cynical foul on Paqueta, who has been excellent after a quiet first half.
74 min Fiorentina had a brief sulk after going behind, maybe two or three minutes, but since then they have been fantastic.
72 min: Just wide from Mandrogara! This game has exploded into life. A low cross from the right was collected by Cabral, back to goal. He teed it up beautifully for Mandrogara, who placed a shot just wide from the edge of the area.
71 min Terracciano makes a good one-on-one save from Antonio, though it wouldn’t have counted as Antonio was well offside.
69 min “Surely Benrahma should have seen his walking papers for that celebration?” says David Singleton. “He’s on a yellow and jumped into the crowd. Final or not, rules are rules.”
I did wonder about that. He didn’t quite jump into the crowd, I don’t think, but he certainly got warm and cuddly with some of the West Ham fans.
It was beautifully taken from Giacomo Bonaventura, though West Ham will feel like it was avoidable. A long crossfield pass was headed back by Gonzalez to Bonaventura, on the edge of the area. He controlled the ball on the stretch with his left foot and cracked an early right-footed that bounced across Areola and into the corner. That’s a superb finish, but there were two West Ham defenders in close proximity, Rice and Aguerd, who might have blocked the shot.
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GOAL! Fiorentina 1-1 West Ham (Bonaventura 67)
Out of nothing, Fiorentina are level!
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66 min Now Fiorentina appeal for a penalty! Gonzalez’s deflected cutback reaches Cabral, whose first-time shot is superbly blocked by Kehrer. Mandragora wants a penalty for handball (it wasn’t) and is booked for dissent.
65 min Fiorentina have briefly lost the head, and it’s West Ham who are keeping the ball in the opposition half. They were angry with the penalty decision, which you can understand even though it was pretty clear by modern standards.
64 min The replay shows it wasn’t that good a penalty, or at least it wasn’t right in the top corner, but Terracciano went the wrong way so it doesn’t matter one bit.
63 min Before the penalty, Fiorentina also made a substitution: Riccardo Saponara for Christian Kouame.
It was a terrific penalty, sidefooted high to his right. Terracciano went the wrong way. West Ham have barely had a kick – and they’re ahead!
GOAL! Fiorentina 0-1 West Ham (Benrahma 62 pen)
Benrahma scores emphatically!
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61 min: Said Benrahama is going to take the penalty. Before he does so, the injured Zouma is replaced by Thilo Kehrer.
60 min: PENALTY TO WEST HAM!
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Bowen controlled a long throw on the chest, and the ball then hit the outstretched fist of Biraghi. He punched it, essentially.
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This should be a penalty.
58 min: West Ham penalty appeal! Bowen is certain there was a handball in the area by Biraghi. The referee ignores him, but it will be checked by VAR.
58 min Kouame’s tame long-range shot bounces into the arms of Areola. That’s Fiorentina’s first shot on target.
57 min “Do you find watching West Ham here is really reminiscent of watching 2000s England?” says Edan Tal. “Their nerves are sending them deeper and deeper and they can’t put three passes together.”
I like that comparison, although England tended to do it at 1-0 rather than 0-0.
56 min West Ham can’t get out at the moment. They are still defending well but this is a dangerous game to play for 90 minutes, never mind 120.
54 min Aguerd and Gonzalez are fine to continue.
52 min Aguerd is booked for a fractionally late aerial challenge on Gonzalez. Both players landed awkwardly and are being checked. The yellow card seems a bit harsh.
50 min Now Gonzalez goes down holding his face after being brushed by the flailing arm of Benrahma. Again, the referee isn’t interested, which is a good job for West Ham because Benrahma has already been booked.
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49 min West Ham appeal for a penalty when Bowen goes down holding his head after a challenge from behind by Biraghi. The referee isn’t interested, nor is VAR. I think Biraghi’s arm caught Bowen on the back of the head, but not firmly enough for it to be a penalty.
48 min Antonio leads a West Ham break near the halfway line and is legged up by Gonzalez, a needless challenge because Antonio had almost no support.
47 min Fiorentina pick up where they left off before half-time, with crosses from Dodo and Mandragora being cleared by the West Ham defence.
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46 min Peep peep! West Ham begin the second half, and Soucek immediately flattens Ranieri while jumping for a high ball.
Fiorentina have made a half-time substitution Arthur Cabral, the tournament’s joint top-scorer, is replacing Luka Jovic up front.
“Here’s the thing with Paul Tanner’s email from about an hour ago,” begins Russell Yong. “I haven’t done the hard math on this but, conservatively speaking, 90 per cent of the teams who qualify for the Champions League do so almost every year, and I don’t just mean the group stage, I mean from the earliest qualifying rounds.
“The top level of the game is now so stratified by who gets the same whack of cash every year, and the second level (the Europa League-zone teams) is getting there too. The Conference League, for better or worse, is UEFA’s solution to ensuring a fairer distribution of revenue to more European clubs, the ones who won’t ‘just’ make the Europa League every year, much less the Champions League.
“People who dissent would do well to study the prize money distribution, including (for this season) €260,000 if you’re a league champion who fails to make it to the group stage of any of the three tiers of UEFA competition. The sort of money that is piddling to the 7th best team in England but could make a world of difference to a club from, say, San Marino or Latvia, the sort of countries we’re content bemoaning the standard of in European competition but apparently also won’t support motions that could help them improve.
“So yeah, call it a Mickey Mouse competition if you will, and it’s your freedom to not care about it, but if you’re going to dismiss it, don’t turn around and say UEFA never did anything for you or anyone.”
Half-time reading
Half time: Fiorentina 0-0 West Ham
An interesting tactical battle in Prague, but not – yet – an exciting game of football. The most notable incident in the first half, alas, was the Fiorentina left back Cristiano Biraghi having the back of his head cut by an object thrown from the West Ham end.
West Ham have defended well – Fiorentina have had around 70 per cent of possession and no shots on target – but they have struggled to keep the ball, and at times Michail Antonio has been bullied by the two Fiorentina centre-halves.
See you in 15 minutes for the second half.
NO GOAL! The decision is confirmed – Jovic was fractionally offside.
A deep inswinging cross from Gonzalez was met by Kouame, who thumped a terrific header off the post. Jovic put the loose ball away, diving bravely in front of a West Ham boot, and was then flagged offside. It’s still being checked.
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This is really tight – the goal might be given.
45+4 min: Jovic has a goal disallowed! This will be checked, it can only be for offside.
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45+4 min This time he takes it short to Amrabat, whose cross is cleared.
45+3 min Another corner on the right for Fiorentina. Biraghi, wearing his purple bandage, walks over to take it…
45+2 min “I appreciate the attention to detail of whoever it was at Fiorentina that ordered bandages in purple,” writes Kári Tulinius. “I wish all professional clubs were this committed to their bit.”
45+1 min Gonzalez plays a terrific first-time pass to the underlapping Bonaventura, who stands up a deep cross that is headed away by Coufal.
45+1 min Four minutes, to be precise.
45 min There will be plenty of added time because of the delay when Biraghi was hit by something thrown from the crowd.
44 min “That Fiorentina kit remains magnificent doesn’t it, although a shame they’ve not reverted to 7-Up as the sponsor for full 90s nostalgia,” says David Hopkins. “The hipster choice from that time was Batistuta of course but this Rams fan of a certain age can’t help but think of Francesco Baiano.”
44 min The free-kick is probably too wide for a shot. Emerson floats it to the far post, where Ranieri heads clear. West Ham regain possession – this is their best spell – and Coufal’s very deep cross is headed back into a dangerous area by Soucek. There's nobody there for West Ham and Fiorentina clear.
42 min The second corner leads to a snapshot from Rice, 17 yards out, that is blocked. Then Emerson is fouled 25 yards from goal by Kouame.
41 min West Ham get their first corner, incorrectly awarded after Benrahma ran at Dodo. Emerson’s outswinger is headed behind for another by Milenkovic.
40 min It’s been pretty quiet since the resumption. David Moyes is apparently unhappy with West Ham’s performance, which is no surprise as they haven’t kept the ball well enough. They’ve actually defended well, Aguerd in particular.
38 min “Antonio seems to be suffering a lot tonight from something he’s not unfamiliar with and which in a pre European finals time we used to know as Andy Carroll syndrome - getting kicked all over the place and getting all the decisions against him purely on account of being big and looking awkward,” says Trevor Bond. “He needs to keep his cool, can see a couple of yellows coming his way otherwise. That kick out near the halfway line recently was risky, and a rare case of a correct decision against him so far tonight. Absolutely fair yellow for Benrahma there. But you can understand the temptation.”
37 min Biraghi’s corner is half cleared as far as Jovic, whose hooked volley dribbles through to Areola.
36 min Play is about to resume, with Biraghi over the corner…
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35 min It looks like Biraghi was hit by a lighter. While he has his head bandaged, most of the West Ham players walk over to ask their fans to stop the nonsense.
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Biraghi cut by object thrown from crowd
34 min Gonzalez beats Emerson thrillingly on the right, forcing Aguerd to come across and make a fine sliding tackle just inside the area. Corner to Fiorentina, and Biraghi is again showered in plastic cups before taking it. I think they’re plastic cups, but one of them has drawn blood from the back of Biraghi’s head. This isn’t good.
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31 min Benrahma is booked for diving after a challenge from Bonaventura on the edge of the area. That’s a good decision from the referee. I’m not sure why Benrahma dived because he’d beaten Bonaventura, although Milenkovic would probably have come across to clear.
31 min “Re: West Ham having less possession,” begins Peter Oh. “The statistics eloquently confirm the old adage that less is Moyes.”
30 min I don’t think either side has had a shot on target yet.
28 min Bowen’s chipped cross is headed up in the air, back towards his own goal, by the off balance Amrabat. Soucek tries to attack it but Gonzalez gets between him and the ball, which allows the keeper Terracciano to come and claim.
27 min Antonio seems to be flattened by the sliding Milenkovic, but the referee gives a goalkick rather than a foul and a possible yellow card. It’s getting a bit niggly between the two centre-halves and Antonio, who had a long chat with the referee before that Fiorentina corner a couple of minutes ago.
26 min: Chance for Fiorentina A few cups are thrown onto the pitch before Biraghi takes the corner. He swings it towards the near post, where Milenkovic heads over from five yards! That was a decent chance – it needed a softer touch.
25 min Biraghi’s deep cross is headed back across goal by Jovic. Coufal does well to head clear, albeit only as far as Dodo on the edge of the area. His volley deflects behind for a corner.
24 min “Ah, the 2001 Super Cup,” says Matt Dony. “One of five Liverpool trophies that year. Now, I’m no mathematician, but a quintuple is more than a treble, isn’t it? (*Tin hat: On*)
23 min Fiorentina have been excellent without the ball, really aggressive. West Ham have had no time to breathe in posession.
22 min Possession percentage so far: Fiorentina 69-31 West Ham.
21 min “The air outside here in Philadelphia is as smoky as an East End pub the last time West Ham won anything,” says Justin Kavanagh. “Thankfully, inside this air-conditioned American pub, it’s as cool and clear as David Moyes’ eyes.”
20 min A double ricochet falls kindly for Jovic in the area, but Aguerd does well to ease him wide and block the eventual shot.
18 min Fiorentina’s centre-backs have been all over Michail Antonio, trying to win the ball aggressively whenever it’s played up to him. Because of that, West Ham’s defenders are getting much respite.
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17 min It’s exactly as we expected, with Fiorentina probing patiently and West Ham on the lookout for counter-attacking opportunities. There haven’t been any chances but it’s an interesting tactical battle.
13 min Coufal’s long throw is headed away as far as Rice, lurking in the D. He crunches a shot that veers away from Terracciano and bounces a few yards wide. As the excellent co-commentator Don Hutchison says on BT Sport, it was trapped between his feet which meant he couldn’t get a clean connection.
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12 min Paqueta releases Bowen on the right with a nice pass. Bowen cuts into the area, hugging the ball on his left foot, and stands up a cross that is headed clear by Ranieri (I think).
12 min Dodo is fine, and play resumes.
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11 min Dodo has a bit of blood coming from his nose after a clash of heads with Benrahma, so there’s a break in play while he receives treatment.
9 min Mandragora shoots well wide from distance. West Ham aren’t seeing much of the ball at the moment.
7 min Plenty of early possession for Fiorentina, as we expected, though almost all of it has been in front of the defence. In other news, it has started raining in Prague.
5 min Fiorentina’s shape is similar to Manchester City’s, with the brilliant Sofyan Amrabat in the Rodri position and therefore closest to Lucas Paqueta. West Ham are playing 4-2-3-1 as expected.
4 min Rice, back on the left of centre now, makes a desperate but vital challenge on Gonzalez in the penalty area. Gonzalez has stayed down holding his face. He was caught by a flailing and may have been accidentally poked in the eye. It wasn’t a foul though.
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3 min Nicolas Gonzalez has started on the right wing, with Christian Kouane on the left. The official Fiorentina team graphic had them the other way round. Declan Rice has also started as the right-sided central midfielder, which from memory isn’t usually the case.
2 min “What fourth trophy is Carragher on about?” asks Trevor Bond. “I feel I must be being a bit daft and have missed something, but despite a few others having raised the same query in the comments on Twitter I can’t see any clarification. Help?
“In other news, Hammer of 39 years here - named after the winning goalscorer the last time we won anything so that tells it’s own story (yes I was there for the Intertoto, no it doesn’t count). Watching this in a pub in Chelsea territory, ‘for my sins’ - where weirdly they have the main event on 50% of the screens and Kent v Essex in the T20 Blast on the others. I love my cricket, but that seems a weird choice.
“Irons!”
I assumed he means the Super Cup, 2001 and all that.
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1 min Antonio has a long-range shot saved comfortably by Terracciano after 37 seconds. It came from a good West Ham break after an equally dangerous Fiorentina attack.
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Kick off!
1 min Peep peep! Fiorentina kick off from left to right as we watch.
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The players are lining up for the usual pre-match guff. Fiorentina are in their classic purple home strip. West Ham, sans sponsor, are wearing in their white third strip.
“Watching under burning skies here in New York,” writes Graeme Jamieson. “The only question I had about the West Ham starting XI was the full backs. I think Moyes has made the right call, and I’m now less nervous about Gonzalez.
“Still, we need a big game from Palmieri and Aguerd. And I expect Kehrer may follow speed merchant Ikone onto the field. I hope West Ham start fast and stay calm, because it’s likely we won’t see a lot of the ball and may have to come from behind or rely on purple profligacy. I hope that Paqueta and Benrahma can be the difference!
“Come on boys!”
A reminder of the teams, who are about to emerge from the tunnel. This is it.
Fiorentina (4-3-3) Terracciano; Dodo, Milenkovic, Ranieri, Biraghi; Bonaventura, Amrabat, Mandragora; Kouame, Jovic, Gonzalez.
Substitutes: Cerofolini, Saponara, Cabral, Ikone, Terzic, Venuti, Martinez Quarta, Duncan, Bianco, Barak, Brekalo, Igor.
West Ham (4-2-3-1) Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Antonio.
Substitutes: Fabianski, Johnson, Cresswell, Fornals, Lanzini, Downes, Cornet, Ings, Ogbonna, Kehrer, Potts, Mubama
Referee Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain).
“Actually,” says Matt Dony, “ I’ve just remembered how much I loved Batistuta, particularly in those magnificent Fiorentina strips. Sorry, Moyes. I hope Fiorentina win. The fickle nature of the football fan.”
Another plug for Nicky Bandini’s guide to AC Fiorentina (2022-23 version)
I’d love West Ham to win @europacnfleague tonight!
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) June 7, 2023
Too many clubs in England have gone generations without lifting a trophy, so it would be nice to see WH put that to bed. Only four clubs in Europe can win 🏆each season, so this trophy is well worth winning for any English club…
The Fortuna Stadium may be cosy, by European final standards, but the atmosphere sounds spectacular. They are currently being entertained by what looks a bit like a ZZ Top tribute band, except there are about 12 of them, and they’re playing Seven Nation Army.
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“It’s 4.40am in Queensland and I’m about to wake the children, who have almost finished high school, for their first West Ham final,” writes Peter English, my colleague at Wisden a couple of lifetimes ago. “It’s been a long night already. I hope Fortuna Stadium isn’t a hiding omen.”
See, that’s the quality of pun you get from Wisden alumni. Well, some of them.
Another plug for Jacob Steinberg’s preview
“Whatever about the quality of fare offered up tonight (and God knows it can’t possibly be worse than last week’s festival of anti-football), at least we have two of the finest club strips in European football contesting the final,” says Justin Kavanagh. “Prince’s Purple Rain will surely be aired at the trophy presentation.”
Either that or his little known B-side, Claret and Blue Rain.
“‘It’s what I do. I win.’ David Moyes. December 2019,” begins Matt Dony. “How we laughed. Then he led West Ham to sixth and seventh-place finishes, and a European final. It hasn’t been pretty (to say the least), and there have certainly been some negatives this season, but what a job he’s done. The Man United job was the very definition of a poison chalice, Sociedad and Sunderland burned up any remaining shreds of his reputation. But here we are. Hope does it. Hope he wins.”
Especially as there is plenty of talk that he’ll be sacked if they lose! Not sure why I used an exclamation mark there tbh.
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“Not sure if you’re interested in a minority opinion amid all the build-up excitement,” writes Paul Tanner, “but I’m a West Ham away season ticket holder so I had a ticket for tonight in Prague if I had wanted it.
“However, and I know it’s a (very) minority view, I just can’t get excited about the Conference League. It’s a Mickey Mouse cup, the sole benefit of which is the right to be in the Europa League proper next season. Everybody getting excited and comparing tonight to the 2006 FA Cup final is ludicrous. We’ve steamrollered our way through European minnows nobody has ever heard of in front of low attendances at the London Stadium. It’s like the League Cup but worse.
“Thirteen wins out of 14 played in this competition, when you consider how poor we were in the league this season, says everything to me about the quality and prestige of the UECL. As was the case for previous rounds I won’t even be watching on TV tonight.”
Crikey. I mean, I don’t agree but it’s an interesting view and I understand the argument. Ultimately this is still the third European competition. If that’s not worth winning, football has gone seriously wrong.
(It has gone seriously wrong, but that’s for another day.)
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David Moyes’ pre-match thoughts
[On the selection] It was a difficult decision. Thilo Kehrer and Aaron Cresswell have played really well, so it was a tough call. But I felt [Vladimir Coufal and Emerson Palmieri] will go forward, they’re good in attack, and they can supply crosses and balls into the box.
We’re fresh coming into the game. The players are in good spirits, we’ve been ready for the game for a few days now. Hopefully we can show it. We’re really excited to be here. It’s a great achievement for the players. But now we want to win it. There’s huge West Ham support here and we hope we can do them proud.
We’ve scored a lot of goals in Europe this season, we’ve been attacking, and I hope we can do that. We’re up against a good opponent – they’re a decent possession side and we’ll have to deal with that at times. But overall I hope we can go about the job like we did in the earlier games.
"We've been ready for a few days now!" 💪
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) June 7, 2023
David Moyes speaks to @Becky_Ives_ ahead of West Ham's first chance at European glory in 47 years!! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ZmbPq2iJfi
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“My 30th birthday today and all I’ve been able to think about is tonight’s game,” says Jon Jenner. “Waiting in an East London pub to watch the game feeling incredibly nervous, and horribly hopeful alongside it. Think it will be a ridiculously tight game - let’s hope this ends up being the present of all presents, rather than the misery of 2006!”
“Lest West Ham fans think that Fiorentina’s right back Dodo is a reference to an extinct, flightless, probably somewhat hapless bird,” begins Peter Oh, “let me provide a quick pronunciation guide. The nickname is actually Dodô, pronounced something like doh-DOE.”
This will almost certainly be Declan Rice’s last game for West Ham, at least in his first spell at the club. There’s a script with his name on it.
“Calling this a ‘major’ European final would imply there is a ‘minor’ final out there somewhere,” says Adam Hazell. “What other competition am I missing?”
I’ll give you a clue: the Intertoto Cup, which West Ham (and Juventus and Montpellier) won in 1999.
Don’t expect tonight’s game to be a triumph of the Corinthian spirit. This is Football 2023, after all.
On the plus side, there’s surely no chance the game will be as cynical as last week’s Europa League final.
“Evening Rob,” says Roger Kirkby. “This competition has such a long name, they should change it to the Fans’ Cup, as the interest in it definitely stems from long suffering teams all over Europe finally having their own cup to go for. And there’s a cherry on the cake, the winner qualifies for for the Europa League next season. So win tonight and West Ham are about 40 games from winning the Champions League in two years time.”
West Ham last won a major trophy in 1980, which was also the year David Moyes was first involved in senior football. In the last 43 years he’s played for Celtic and managed Everton and Manchester United among others. This is the game of his life.
Only the champions Napoli had more possession than Fiorentina in Serie A this season, so we know how this game is likely to pan out. West Ham, so menacing on the counter-attack, won’t mind that at all.
The first email of the night!
“Hey there Rob,” writes Rob Lewis. “The decision not to fly to Prague cost me sleepless nights, but here I am, 1000 km away in Istanbul waiting for the kick-off. I was at Wembley in 1980 for that last trophy win, and now I hope and pray that tonight we can recreate some of that 1965 style and win after all those years of pain.”
Team news: Coufal and Emerson start
David Moyes has picked Vladimir Coufal and Emerson Palmieri at full-back ahead of Thilo Kehrer and Aaron Cresswell, the only changes from the second leg of the semi-final in Alkmaar. That means the goalscorer Pablo Fornals is again on the bench.
Fiorentina manager Vincenzo Italiano prefers Luka Jovic up front to Arthur Cabral, which is a bit of a surprise. That’s one of four changes from their second-leg win in Basel. Luca Ranieri, Rolando Mandragora and Christian Kouame also start in place of Igor, Gaetano Castrovilli (injured) and Josip Brekalo.
Fiorentina (4-3-3) Terracciano; Dodo, Milenkovic, Ranieri, Biraghi; Bonaventura, Amrabat, Mandragora; Kouame, Jovic, Gonzalez.
Substitutes: Cerofolini, Saponara, Cabral, Ikone, Terzic, Venuti, Martinez Quarta, Duncan, Bianco, Barak, Brekalo, Igor.
West Ham (4-2-3-1) Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Antonio.
Substitutes: Fabianski, Johnson, Cresswell, Fornals, Lanzini, Downes, Cornet, Ings, Ogbonna, Kehrer, Potts, Mubama
Referee Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain).
Emerson over Cresswell at left-back a big call from Moyes. Not as solid defensively. But Emerson has big match experience - started the Euro 2020 final and the 2019 Europa League final.
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) June 7, 2023
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West Ham are in their first major European final for 47 years. In 1976, they reached the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup but lost 4-2 to Anderlecht.
In his match report from the Heysel stadium, Brussels, the Guardian’s David Lacey said: “the turning point came two minutes before half-time when a bad mistake by Lampard [Sr] gave Anderlecht a simple equaliser”.
The Belgium side scored a second after the break, and although West Ham equalised, Anderlecht found the net two more times to lift the trophy.
Lacey gave credit to West Ham for making it a compelling final, writing that “they never abandoned their attacking traditions.” He picked out Trevor Brooking, playing wide left, as an example of this.
There have been reports of a few arrests in Prague, though BT Sport say the atmosphere is generally good
Here’s today’s Football Daily, which concentrates on the main event
In the simplest terms, tonight’s match is 8th in Serie A v 14th in the Premier League. But you probably want to know a bit more about Fiorentina. Educate yourself with the help of Nicky Bandini.
The final is being played at the Fortuna Arena, where Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek used to play their football for Slavia Prague. It has a capacity of less than 20,000, and it feels like Uefa have been surprised by the success of their own competition. Last year’s final between Roma and Feyenoord was played at the Arena Kombëtare in Tirana, Albania, with a crowd of 19,597.
With the way the competition is growing – next year’s final is in Athens, capacity 32,500 – tonight’s match might set a long-standing record for the lowest attendance in a 21st-century European final (Covid notwithstanding).
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Europa Conference League final between Fiorentina and West Ham in Prague. Yet another English team in a European final, eh? Well, yes, but this isn’t like the others. It’s the 29th appearance by an English team in a final since the return to European competition in 1990 – but it’s only the third by a team outside what we now call the Big Six: Middlesbrough 2006, Fulham 2010, West Ham 2023.
As such, the mood is different: all connected with West Ham – and Fiorentina – know this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for their club. West Ham haven’t won a major trophy since they beat Arsenal in the FA Cup final of 1980, and they haven’t won a European competition since the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965. Hell, they’ve won the World Cup most recently than that.
Fiorentina last trophy was the 2001 Coppa Italia, though they lost this year’s final to Internazionale. Their only European triumph was also in the Cup Winners’ Cup, four years before West Ham, and their last final was the Uefa Cup of 1989-90. Fiorentina lost that 3-1 on aggregate to Juventus, a defeat made infinitely more painful by Roberto Baggio’s imminent move to Turin.
Many of us were guilty of sneering at the Conference League when it was founded in 2021. But it already feels like an essential part of the calendar – more innocent than the Champions League, less predictable than the Champions and Europa Leagues. Fiorentina and West Ham are among football’s have-nots, but the haves will probably never experience the type of excitement that both sets of fans and players are enjoying right now. For one of them, the most glorious of glories awaits.
Kick off 8pm BST, 9pm in Prague and Florence.
