Last-gasp Bowen goal gives West Ham Europa Conference League
The Premier League side won its first European trophy after 58 years
Jarrod Bowen scored in the 90th minute on Wednesday to give West Ham a 2-1 win against Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final, giving the Premier League its first major European trophy in 58 years.
The back-and-forth affair at Prague’s Eden Arena appeared to be heading to extra time when Lucas Paqueta put in a killer pass to Bowen, who ran past three defenders and put the ball past goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano.
The goal — West Ham’s first major continental title since the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965 — sent manager David Moyes racing down the sideline in celebration.
“The minute Jarrod went through I was edging down the touchline,” Moyes said. “If there was anybody who was going to score it was going to be Jarrod.”
West Ham opened the scoring on a Said Benrahma penalty kick after 62 minutes, but the lead was cancelled out by Giacomo Bonaventura’s equalizer just five minutes later.
Fiorentina dominated possession for long stretches of the match, but West Ham, who finished 14th in the Premier League this season, had the killer instinct when it mattered most and that won them the trophy.
The Europa Conference League, in just its second season, is a third-tier UEFA club competition behind the Champions League and Europa League. The inaugural edition was won last season by Roma, who last week lost the Europa League final to Sevilla in a shootout.
Fiorentina recently lost the Coppa Italia final to Inter Milan. The Florence-based club, owned by American businessman Rocco Commisso, was seeking its first trophy since capturing the Coppa Italia in 2001.
“We lost two finals when we played really well and it’s a shame,” said Fiorentina manager Vincenzo Italiano. “I honestly didn’t imagine it could finish like this.”
As of result of West Ham’s win, the Premier League will have eight teams in next season’s three major European competitions: Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle in the Champions League; Liverpool, Brighton and West Ham in the Europa League; and Aston Villa in the Conference League.