Genk 2-2 West Ham: Saïd Benrahma’s double wins Hammers draw

West Ham are in the Europa League round of 16 despite a goal against their late side of Tomas Soucek who saw them draw with Genk in David Moyes’ 1,000th game as manager.

The Hammers had paid off a slow start at Cegeka Arena, with Joseph Paintsil darting on Junya Ito’s pass and goalkeeper Alphonse Areola unable to fend off the striker’s low shot.

Benrahma shot Vladimir Coufal’s smart withdrawal to equalize after the break, then added a delicious one-on-one effort eight minutes to go to seemingly wrap up a win.

But Soucek inadvertently turned a cross into his own net three minutes from time.

Moyes’ side have 10 points in four games – six ahead of Genk with two games to go – and appear poised to win Group H. That would secure them a place in the bottom 16 rather than, as runners-up. group, to have to play a play-off with a third team in the Champions League.

Dinamo Zagreb’s 3-1 win over Rapid Vienna left the Croatian side second, four points behind West Ham.

“I consider that we have qualified, and the other part is that we are still new to this field,” Moyes said.

“We’re trying to keep players fresh for the Premier League, so somewhere along the line it was going to get bumpy – and Genk made it bumpy.”

Moyes crosses the 1,000 mark

Moyes’ first game in management came before England midfielder Declan Rice, his current squad’s most influential player, was even born, while the rest of his squad are unlikely to remember the Scotsman who took charge of Preston’s victory over Macclesfield in January 1998.

After Everton, Manchester United, Real Sociedad, Sunderland and now the Hammers, Moyes becomes the 35th person on the League Managers‘ Association roster to hit the 1,000-game mark – and for the last six of those matches, his team is undefeated.

It would have been a better celebration if they had kept their lead.

Moyes aimed to bring West Ham to the last 16 in a European competition for the first time since the 1980-81 season, when they were knocked out in the Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-finals by future champions Dinamo Tbilisi .

But they started slow in Belgium and moved behind Paintsil’s opener in the fourth minute, with Areola going on to prevent a header from Paul Onuachu shortly after.

For 20 minutes, the Hammers really struggled to get a handle on a side they beat 3-0 in the second leg and, in particular, Ito’s move, which should have doubled the hosts’ lead after the break. and the rapid reduction of Paintsil.

There were quick chances for Benrahma and Rice before the break and Moyes made a triple change soon after in an effort to change his team’s fortunes, while leaving forward Michail Antonio resting for Sunday’s visit. in the Premier League in Liverpool.

They were soon tied in the 59th minute thanks to Benrahma and the forward added a brilliant second late in the game thanks to clever footwork and a low finish that fizzled out under goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt.

But Genk, who started the day at the bottom of the group, didn’t let go and the hapless Soucek moved past his own goalkeeper to see the points shared.

“It’s pretty hard to believe I got there and it’s a moment I’ll always remember, an away game in Europe,” Moyes said of his landmark. “And we will always remember the game when Tomas Soucek scored on his own side.”