West Ham manager David Moyes was sent off for booting the ball at a ball boy in frustration as West Ham’s European hopes went down the toilet at Frankfurt in their Europa League semi final.
The Hammers were trailing 2-1 from last week’s first leg, and Moyes’ men were up against it from the outset when Aaron Cresswell earned himself a red card after 19 minutes.
Eintracht Frankfurt scored a 1-0 win on the night thanks to Rafael Santos Borre, giving the German side a 3-1 win on aggregate and setting up a Europa League final against Rangers.
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Moyes’ meltdown towards the end of the match summed up a sorry night for West Ham, with captain Declan Rice describing the defeat as a “gutting” loss afterwards.
The West Ham manager addressed the incident at the end of the match and apologised.
“I kicked a ball back at the ball boy. I apologise for that but he threw it back very softly at me. I just feel disappointment.
“We’ve played better teams than Frankfurt. We probably lost the game in the first 30 seconds at the London Stadium and have been chasing it ever since. I don’t know if I’ve enjoyed the officiating but I’ve enjoyed being in the competition.”
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Moyes expressed frustration with how the referee’s dealt with calls during the game and wasn’t happy with how Frankfurt’s bench acted during proceedings.
He said the fourth official warned him for leaving his technical area but never said anything to the home team.
“I’m really disappointed with the reaction of the bench,” the manager said of Cresswell’s red card. “You don’t react in that way. I hope my bench wouldn’t.”
A pitch invasion from thousands of Frankfurt fans at full-time saw West Ham escape the field in a hurry.
More than 30 arrests were made before the game after supporters of the two clubs clashed in several locations in Frankfurt, police said.
It is Frankfurt’s first European final since beating Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1980 in an all-German matchup in the UEFA Cup, the predecessor to the Europa League.
Rangers will be playing its first European final since losing to Zenit St. Petersburg in the UEFA Cup in 2008. The Scottish club is looking for a first European title in 50 years, after winning the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1972.
The final will be played at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium in Seville on May 18, with a place in next season’s Champions League also at stake.
In the inaugural Europa Conference League, Jose Mourinho will have a chance to add another trophy to his collection after his Roma set up a final against Feyenoord in new third-tier competition.
Tammy Abraham scored the only goal as Roma beat Leicester 1-0 at home to advance 2-1 on aggregate. Feyenoord held Marseille to a 0-0 draw in France after winning the first leg 3-2.
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