Coming back in a European knockout tie requires a unison effort from players and clubs alike. Mohammed Kudus and West Ham United definitely did so today as they joined Atlético de Madrid as the only sides in the Europa League and Champions League to turn around a first-leg deficit after the Hammers sent SC Freiburg packing from the London Stadium with a 5-0 battering. Mohammed Kudus was the star of the day as his sensational double in the final quarters booked West Ham’s place in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League, joining fellow English side Liverpool with Brighton eliminated.
Other Europa League Results: UEFA Europa League Last 16: Bayer 04 Leverkusen Came Back From 2-0 Down to Defeat Qarabağ FK 3-2
Mohammed Kudus Caped off Sensational Comeback with Sublime Wondergoal
Bubbles flew early in the London Stadium as Manchester City target Lucas Paquetá scored inside nine minutes, following up Soucek’s near post-flick-on. Mohammed Kudus could have erupted the stadium ten minutes later but failed to sort his feet after Antonio’s sensational run and cut back inside the box. Fortunately, Jarrod Bowen spared his blushes around the half-hour mark as he shrugged off Gunter before arrowing his shot past Atubolu to give West Ham the lead in the tie.
Buoyed by their energetic performance, the West Ham players continued their tempo in the second half and got their rewards seven minutes in through Aaron Cresswell. The left-back scored his first goal in 58 appearances with a delightful strike into the bottom right corner, and West Ham went three up with Freiburg left flustered.
Then, it was the Mohammed Kudus show as he started with a ‘simple’ 60-yard solo goal after picking up possession in his own half and driving straight to the opposition’s box. On his warpath, he chopped past two defenders before eyeing the goalkeeper’s position and slotted the ball brilliantly away from him on his weaker right foot. Kudus then capped off the night with another strike from outside the box, as he had too much space not to try his luck after his first. It was Kudus’s 11th goal at home, as only Salah (14) and Haaland (14) have more in their respective stadium this season.
🇬🇭 Mohammed Kudus has now been involved in 20 goals across all competitions in his debut season for West Ham.
🔝 🌍 African Talent #WHUFC|#EuropaLeague|#UELDraw pic.twitter.com/skk9n3gzLb
— FIFA World Cup Stats (@alimo_philip) March 15, 2024
Mohammed Kudus Ranked Freiburg Goal in His Top 5
After his terrific double to send West Ham into the last 8, Mohammed Kudus was as chirpy as your neighbourhood’s children after receiving candy. When asked about his thoughts on his first goal, Kudus smiled and replied: “It’s in my top five goals. I think so. I will need to look at it again. It’s one of my dreams as a player, taking players on and trying to create something out of nothing, so when I got the space, I thought, let’s go for it.”
As for his form after failing to score since his goal against Manchester United in their 2-0 win, Kudus responded: “As an attacking player, you want to score goals and keep helping the team in front of goal. The last few games have been good, but the goals haven’t been coming. I was very tasty, and I could see the fans were too, so I had to make sure I gave them a special one today.”
Lastly, he promised to continue to deliver similar performances with his teammates after a rough turn of the year, which saw them even losing 6-0 to Arsenal at home. “You could see how we were pressing and chasing the ball because we were very hungry for more goals. After getting our first, we kept going until the last minute. More is coming from Bowen, and I’m not surprised. We are trying to be the best we can be. He deserves a lot of credit for his pressing and doing his defensive duties as an attacking player. We will look to build on this and keep on pushing for the next games. It’s crucial we don’t get satisfied now.”
Also Read: How Did David Moyes Mastermind His First Premier League Away Victory Against Arsenal in 23 Attempts
European Football the Target for Inconsistent Hammers
As mentioned above, West Ham had a rough turn of the year as they were winless in their first eight games. In that period, West Ham drew four and lost four without scoring a single goal in each defeat. Fortunately, West Ham seemed to turn a new leaf in March, and they would hope to build on this performance to secure another season of European Football.
Currently sitting in 7th, they are just four points behind Manchester United with ten games left of the season, with Spurs, Liverpool, and Manchester City yet to play. If the league route fails to work, they can always prioritise the Europa League instead. However, it is a daunting road too, especially with the form of Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool and AC Milan are in.
To catch up on all the games of this week’s European action and the upcoming draw show, follow https://www.asiasport.com/ for spontaneous updates.
Both Europa league and UCL line ups look STACKED this year pic.twitter.com/YKife9LJWa
— WolfRMFC (@WolfRMFC) March 14, 2024
