West Ham moved a step closer to a first European final for 47 years as Michail Antonio sealed a 2-1 win over AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League semi-final first leg on Thursday.
While West Ham eye a landmark final appearance, FC Basel are chasing history of their own after seizing control of the other semi-final with a dramatic 2-1 victory against Fiorentina.
At the London Stadium, David Moyes’ side trailed to Tijjani Reijnders’ first-half goal before fighting back with a stirring display after the interval.
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Said Benrahma equalised with a penalty before Antonio bagged the late winner to put West Ham in control of the tie ahead of the second leg in the Netherlands on May 18.
West Ham have won 12 of their 13 games in the competition this season, taking them to the brink of a first major trophy since the 1980 FA Cup.
Last season, the Hammers lost in the Europa League semi-finals against Eintracht Frankfurt, but they are in position to go further this term.
The east Londoners haven’t reached a major European final since they were beaten by Anderlecht in the 1976 Cup Winners Cup showpiece.
That leaves Moyes’ men free to concentrate on winning the club’s first European trophy since the Cup Winners Cup in 1965.
But Moyes said: “We’ve got a really tough game to come. I’m too humble to say we’re already in the final. Alkmaar have some good players and they showed it tonight.”
Despite being one of the smaller clubs in the Dutch Eredivisie, AZ have reached their first European semi-final since 2005.
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