West Ham 3 Backa Topola 1: Mohammed Kudus inspires comeback with first Hammers goal as Irons avoid embarrassment
IT rained, and it very nearly poured.
A potentially embarrassing night for West Ham began before kick-off as a torrential storm left large sections inside the London Stadium severely flooded.
Some fans joked it was a newly installed waterfall feature to mark their Europa League return.
That is where the laughing stopped, as David Moyes’ Hammers – Europa Conference League champions 108 days ago – flirted with one of the worst defeats in their history.
In the 47th minute, on a rain-soaked turf, Angelo Ogbonna stumbled on the ball just inside his own half, practically giving 22-year-old Backa Topola striker Petar Stanic a 50-yard one-on-one with Lukasz Fabianski, finishing like a prime Premier League poacher.
The Serbian side – who have had eight name changes since being founded in 1913 – were taking part in their first ever elite European group stage tie. They could scarcely believe it.
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Their devoted travelling fanbase of around 100 had made the 2,000km round-trip hoping at best to catch a few of London’s landmarks. Instead, they had witnessed a goal.
West Ham were rattled. Moyes was fuming, pacing his sodden technical area, only for his Ghanaian golden boy to come to his rescue in East London on his first start for the club.
Mohammed Kudus' far post flick in the 66th minute levelled the scores, yet there remains some debate as to whether it was in fact an own goal from Topola left-back Nemanja Petrovic.
There was no debate four minutes later from a delicious James Ward-Prowse corner as Kudus – a £37.5m summer buy from Ajax – powered a header into the bottom corner.
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Ward-Prowse notched another assist from another corner with eight minutes remaining from, this time for late sub Tomas Soucek.
Humiliation avoided, momentum maintained, but the question will remain: What took West Ham so long?
Maybe it was the wet conditions, or perhaps the nine changes Moyes made from the 3-1 defeat to Manchester City here last weekend.
And yet at the same time, there should be no excuses for a first half that saw them barely test the keeper of a Serbian side whose first taste of European football came just over three years ago.
With Anfield to come on Sunday, Moyes hopes this is merely a brief dip, having begun their Premier League campaign so brightly.
Only Ward-Prowse and Lucas Paqueta kept their places for this one, while Greek defender Konstantinos Mavropanos was handed his full debut.
Edson Alvarez missed out, serving a suspension for a red card in last season’s Europa League with former club Ajax.
Jarrod Bowen – the scorer of that dramatic winner in Prague back in June – also sat this one out thanks to illness. However, he is expected to face Liverpool.
The Hammers were in dire need of some of Bowen’s fizz and spark on the ball for the majority of a dismal first half.
Following Ogbonna’s woeful error after the break, the home fans were finally given some attacking intent as Kudus forced his opener in from Said Benrahma’s inviting cross.
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Ward-Prowse’s fourth and fifth assist of the campaign in all competitions sealed the deal, followed by some puffing of cheeks and shaking of umbrellas. Crisis averted.
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