43 years of waiting| West Ham United Crowned Europa Conference League Champions in Dramatic Fashion

West Ham United ended its 43-year wait for a major trophy after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday. Jarrod Bowen scored a last-minute winner, sending fans into rapturous celebrations at Prague’s Fortuna Arena.

Manager David Moyes expressed his elation, saying, “This is fantastic. I’ve had a long career in football and you don’t get many moments like this, but thankfully tonight we’ve got the result we’ve wanted.” Although West Ham has struggled domestically, the team has consistently impressed fans in Europe over the last two seasons.

The Hammers took the lead in the second half with a penalty from Saïd Benrahma. However, Giacomo Bonaventura equalized for Fiorentina just seven minutes later. With extra time looming, Lucas Paquetá’s brilliant pass found Bowen, who coolly slotted home the winner in the 90th minute.

An emotional Bowen said, “I obviously dreamed of scoring, but to score the winner in the last minute…you always say you want to score a last-minute winner! To do it in front of these fans, I thought I was going to cry. I’m just so, so happy. I can’t put it into words.”

Despite the jubilant atmosphere, the game was marred by fan trouble. In the first half, an object thrown from the stands struck Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi in the head as he prepared to take a corner. West Ham United condemned the behavior in a statement, pledging to impose indefinite bans on any individuals identified as responsible.

Following the match, West Ham captain Declan Rice, who has been the subject of transfer speculation, deflected questions about his future at the club. “There is interest from other clubs, but I have two years left at West Ham. I love this club, I love playing for this club,” he told BT Sport. “There hasn’t been anything yet; my focus is playing for West Ham, enjoying tonight, and seeing what happens.”