EXTRA TIME

Massive Unbeaten Record

October 6, 2023 at 5:39 am Leave a comment

With their 2-1 away win against SC Freiburg in the Europa League West Ham United set a new record for consecutive unbeaten European matches for an English team.

Lucas Paquetá’s superb header on eight minutes and Nayef Aguerd’s excellent goal from James Ward Prowse’s corner – his eighth goal involvement in as many games – in the second half mean the Hammers clinched an impressive record by becoming the first English side to go 17 consecutive games in European competition without defeat.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City team, Don Revie’s Leeds in the 1960s and Bill Nicholson’s 1970s Tottenham side all managed 16 games unbeaten. David Moyes now has got 17, what a brilliant achievement!

Hosts Freiburg had levelled the match at 1-1 on 49 minutes through Roland Sallai’s determined finish at the third time of asking, after exquisite saves by Łukasz Fabiański.

But with Nayef Aguerd‘s header from a JWP corner in the 66th minute West Ham was ahead again and following their lead the Hammers had chances to score more goals in front of 34.000 German fans. WHU supporters were not allowed in the ground due to a UEFA penalty. Nonetheless my friend Barrie managed to get a ticket and said that the UEFA measures wouldn’t stop him from going.

In his words it was “a fantastic result” and “well deserved”.

West Ham now top Group A with six points from two games, Freiburg have three and Olympiakos and Serbian side Backa Topola both have one point. On Thursday, 26 October West Ham play Olympiakos Piraeus away in their next group game.

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