West Ham lost 2-0 against Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal after being let in by two goals in the last minutes.
Before Jonas Hoffman, a replacement, eventually defeated goalie Lukasz Fabianski, the Hammers had bravely defended for eighty-three minutes.
Even though they were playing an undefeated team all season, David Moyes’ team may have felt more optimistic heading into the second leg at the London Stadium next week with a one-goal disadvantage.
However, tragedy struck in stoppage time when Victor Boniface, a second replacement, headed in Hofmann’s cross, making it appear improbable that West Ham would make it to a third straight European semi-final.
The challenge facing the Brazil international is exacerbated by Lucas Paqueta’s yellow card, which prevents him from playing in the second leg.
The Hammers, who were without suspended defensive midfield stalwart Edson Alvarez and injured top scorer Jarrod Bowen, were nearly destroyed in the seventh minute when Josip Stanisic’s erroneous effort was deflected goalward by Patrik Schick, but it went straight to Fabianski.
Moments later, though, Michail Antonio provided the finest opportunity of the first half by outpacing Jonathan Tah on the left side, giving Leverkusen a taste of West Ham’s ability to counterattack.
The strong forward squared the ball to Mohammed Kudus, but Matej Kovar easily stopped the Ghanaian winger’s first goal.
But with much of West Ham confined to their own penalty area, Fabianski turned aside Jeremie Frimpong’s curler and then deflected Exequiel Palacios’s drive over.
In addition to earning Paqueta a ticket for his too aggressive challenge on Amine Adli (the Brazilian avoided a red card check), the encounter on the touchline also resulted in a minor altercation.
It’s possible that Fabianski anticipated a hectic evening, and he was correct as he made crucial stops to thwart risky attempts by Edmond Tapsoba, Alejandro Grimaldo, and Shick.
Emerson Palmieri was given a yellow card early in the second half for catching Adli on the ankle; as a result, the left-back would miss the return match the following week.
Former Manchester City player Frimpong sent a low, angled drive straight at Fabianski, but the 38-year-old Pole produced an incredible stop to deflect Shick’s automatic header over the bar.
But when a corner was only partially cleared with seven minutes remaining, Hoffman’s shot bounced through a sea of white shirts and into the net, and Fabianski was helpless to stop it.
In a last-gasp attempt, Tomas Soucek blocked two Tah attempts off the line before Boniface headed the second, devastating the Hammers.
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