March 28, 2024 Latest Football News

West Ham ousted by Astra Giurgiu for second year running

West Ham United was denied a spot in the Europa League after Astra Giurgiu defeated the London club by 1-0 (2-1 on aggregrate) in the qualifying playoffs of the European tournament.

It is also the second successive season that Astra, who have only won once in five league games this season, extinguished the Hammers’ hope of making it into the Europa League.

After a 1-1 away draw last week, West Ham trailed as a counter-attack by the Romanian champions was precisely finished by Filipe Teixeira just before half time.

The Hammers improved after the break, with Jonathan Calleri, Ashley Fletcher and Winston Reid registering attempts. In comparison, Astra converted just one out of two their attempts.

However, their resolve in defense held their opponents at ba; without a goal, West Ham could not force extra time to save their European campaign.

Home fans quickly left the Premier League club’s new 60,000-seater stadium within seconds of the full-time whistle, although a small number of Romanian fans remained to celebrate with their jubilant players.

““I said this is one of the most important games for us this year. This is like a final that you have to win to go through,” said West Ham manager Slaven Bilic. “The disappointment is massive. We didn’t play good in the first half or with desire as a team. We were second best.”

The Hammers’ exit from the Europa league leaves Manchester United and Southampton as the only English sides in the competition; a draw later today will decide who will be their opponents in the group stages, a list that includes Italian giants Inter Milan, Dutch runners-up Ajax and Spanish side Athletic Bilbao.

in My Blog
Banner
Related Posts

Germany: Lukas Podolski set for fond farewell in England friendly

April 12, 2020

April 12, 2020

Lukas Podolski will receive a fond farewell when Germany plays England in an upcoming friendly, as the winger grew into...

Brazil tops FIFA rankings after seven-year wait

January 7, 2020

January 7, 2020

Brazil topped FIFA international rankings for the first time since 2010, ending a seven-year wait for the five-time World Champions....

England to face Australia in Rugby League World Cup opener

January 7, 2020

January 7, 2020

England is set to play against Australia in the opening match of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup. Australia is...

Arsene Wenger: Arsenal must avoid bad Premier League start

January 8, 2020

January 8, 2020

Arsene Wenger has called on Arsenal to build on their Community Shield victory against Chelsea by avoiding a bad start...

Barcelona continues brilliant form with Messi-Neymar combo

April 12, 2020

April 12, 2020

Despite continuously denied Messi’s divine touch, Barcelona still enjoys winning in La Liga. Neymar scored twice and Luis Suárez added...

Real Madrid routs Juve to successfully defend Champions League title

April 12, 2020

April 12, 2020

Real Madrid became the first team to successfully retain the Champions League title as Los Blancos overwhelmed Juventus in the final at...

Smooth Sailing for Andy Murray in Shanghai Masters

April 12, 2020

April 12, 2020

Great Britain’s tennis hero Andy Murray secured a comfortable win over America’s Steve Johnson in an opening match of the...

Joe Hart prepares for Guardiola era debut as Bravo flies in

April 12, 2020

April 12, 2020

Joe Hart will start for Manchester City as Pep Guardiola prepares his team to play Steaua Bucharest in the second...

Manchester United finalizing deal for Nemanja Matic

April 14, 2020

April 14, 2020

Manchester United is close to completing a deal for Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic in a deal worth £40m. Speaking after...

Zidane: Real are not favourites in Champions League final

April 12, 2020

April 12, 2020

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane made the claim that his team are not the favourites going into the UEFA Champions...

Benfica gains slim edge against Borussia Dortmund

January 9, 2020

January 9, 2020

Benfica claimed a slim advantage against Borussia Dortmund after staving off the best attack in the Champions League for a...

West Brom sacks boss Tony Pulis after thrashing by Chelsea

April 14, 2020

April 14, 2020

West Bromwich Albion coach Tony Pulis has been sacked from the club after a poor run of form that culminated...

Real Madrid reveal Gareth Bale to practice before competing with Napoli

April 14, 2020

April 14, 2020

For the match that came to Napoli in the first match of the Champions League round of 16, the final...

Thompson leads Warriors to game six as Raptors’ season ends

January 7, 2020

January 7, 2020

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total Thunder 23 30 30 18 101 Warriors 20 28 27 33 108 Series ties at...

Inspired Paris-Saint Germain puts four past FC Barcelona

January 9, 2020

January 9, 2020

Paris St-Germain stunned Barcelona by four goals to nil, leaving the Spanish Champions in danger of failing to reach the...