West Ham’s hopes of reaching the last eight of the Europa League are in the balance after a performance littered with poor choices ended with them falling to defeat away to Freiburg.
David Moyes will need to see a huge improvement when the second leg takes place at the London Stadium next Thursday. West Ham were far too slack and paid for their lethargy when Michael Gregoritsch scored a late winner after a mistake by Edson Álvarez.
West Ham, who began as favourites after beating Freiburg twice during the group stage, had spent much of the first half testing Moyes’s patience. There was little sign of any spark in attack, their only chance coming when Mohammed Kudus crossed for Jarrod Bowen to miscue a volley, and the quality of their passing left much to be desired. Even Lucas Paquetá, West Ham’s main source of creativity, struggled to find his range.
It did not help that Kudus was having an erratic game on the right. A lack of control in midfield was another worry for Moyes, whose expression darkened as he watched his side repeatedly concede possession in dangerous areas.
Not that Freiburg were much better. Ninth in the Bundesliga after an indifferent run of form, they looked short of conviction at times. Roland Sallai scuffed wide from an unpromising position and Lucas Höler shot straight at Lukasz Fabianski after breaking through the middle, but West Ham were rarely pulled out of shape. They looked content for their imposing centre-backs, Kurt Zouma and Konstantinos Mavropanos, to head away a succession of hopeful crosses.
That passive approach could have backfired when a delivery from the right led to Sallai going close with an overhead kick at the start of the second half. West Ham needed to respond and they were almost ahead when Mavropanos headed against the woodwork after Noah Atubolu flapped at James Ward-Prowse’s corner.
Space appeared on the counterattack. Paquetá, aggrieved to be booked for a foul on Ritsu Doan, headed over when Kudus crossed. A combination between Paquetá and Kudus released Bowen, who cut inside before drawing an excellent save from Atubolu.
Yet the game remained bitty. West Ham had to make a change at left-back, Aaron Cresswell coming on when Emerson Palmieri went off with a muscle problem. Paquetá admonished himself after overhitting an ambitious pass to Kudus.
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Freiburg stirred after Ward-Prowse shot tamely at Atubolu. Gregoritsch headed straight at Fabianski after coming on. Sallai took a heavy touch when he had a chance to burst through. West Ham’s focus faded. They played themselves into trouble after 81 minutes, Álvarez dithering before giving possession away. Freiburg pounced, Sallai shot from the left and Gregoritsch tapped in from close range. There was late drama when Noah Weisshaupt appeared to handle Tomas Soucek’s shot, only for the referee not to award a penalty after checking the pitchside monitor.