West Ham have made it through to a European final for the first time in 47 years after beating AZ Alkmaar 3-0 on aggregate in the Europa Conference League and the sense of achievement wasn't lost on BT Sport expert Joe Cole, who labelled it a «special day».
David Moyes' side won the second leg 1-0 thanks to Pablo Fornals' goal in added-time to set up a showpiece final against Fiorentina in Prague on June 7, and The Hammers can now look forward to their first final in European competition since 1975-76, when they were Cup Winners' Cup runners-up.
Ad They will meet Fiorentina in Prague on Wednesday, June 7. UEFA Europa Conference LeagueCole: Benrahma ‘could be a hero here forever’11/05/2023 AT 21:45 «It’s a special day, and they should be happy and they should celebrate it,» beamed former West Ham midfielder Cole. «It’s a huge achievement for the club, this group of players, for David Moyes, Declan Rice, the young captain of this club.» It was not the most impressive showing from West Ham, but Cole said the final result is all that matters. «It’s not the time to pick the bones out of the performance, it wasn’t a good performance.
But when you play games like this, sometimes it’s just about getting over the line,» he said. Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Roma: Jose Mourinho's side hold firm to secure Europa League final place Sevilla 2-1 Juventus: Erik Lamela's header in extra-time sends Spanish side into Europa League final Cole also paid tribute to defender Aaron Cresswell, who was sent off in the Europa League semi-final defeat to Frankfurt last season but has more than played his part in his team's success this term.