Page 12 - THE ORACLE MAGAZINE SUMMER'23 EDITION

Through their unwavering dedication and sheer determination, this team poured their blood, sweat, and tears into
the tournament, ultimately securing West Ham their first significant continental trophy since the 1964/65 season. I
think it is safe to say that every Hammer, who made the trip was elated to witness their beloved team conclude the
season on such a triumphant note. Now they, along with thousands of new fans, and myself, will all be supporting
West Ham in their journey through the Europa League next season.
H A M M E R I N G T H E I R
W A Y T O G L O R Y : W E S T
H A M S E A L S U E F A
C H A M P I O N S H I P
At the start of the football season, West Ham faced a bleak
situation in the Premier League, leaving fans worldwide
fearing relegation, due to their unfortunate performance
in the Premier League. Whilst they were suffering over in
England, David Moyes orchestrated a remarkable
turnaround in the UEFA Conference League, where West
Ham excelled with an unbeatable record.
They emerged victorious in all but one of their matches,
with 13 wins and a solitary draw, propelling them to the final
against Fiorentina in Prague. Roughly 20,000 British men
marched over to the great land of the Czech Republic to see
their team play for the cup, while West Ham was allocated a
mere 5,780 tickets at the Eden Arena. And, on Wednesday
the 7th of June, history for the Hammers was made.
The pact of the game was rather slow, and it wasn't until
the sixty-second minute that Saïd Benrahma scored the
first goal from a penalty. However, Fiorentina quickly
retaliated just five minutes later, courtesy of Giacomo
Bonaventura, equalizing the score at one-all. It was a very
even match, with both teams taking shots and coming
close to scoring, yet neither could break the tie. It was long
until one man decided enough was enough and chose to
bring the trophy back to London once and for all. Jarrod
Bowen. Assisted by Lucas Paqueta, Bowen received a
delightful pass and expertly bypassed the goalkeeper,
sealing Fiorentina's fate and earning the UEFA Conference
League title for West Ham.
"I dreamed of scoring but to score the winner in the last minute, I
thought I was going to cry. I'
m just happy, I can
't put it into words. We
haven
't had the best season, myself included. I'
m over the moon. You
make that run ten times and you might get it once. I had a lot of time but
I was confident and when I saw it going in, I didn
't know what to do. This
was the biggest game of my career.
"
- Jarrod Bowen via BT sport.
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