West Ham United’s European run ended in the semi-final stage after they were knocked out of the Europa League by German side Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night.
The Hammers traveled to Germany trailing 2-1 from the first leg played last week in London, but could not turn it around at a fully-packed Deutsche Bank Park Stadium.
Their hopes of making anything happen went up in smoke in the opening 45 minutes as Aaron Cresswell was sent-off early for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
Rafael Santos then scored the only goal of the match in the 26th minute, sweeping home to extend their hosts’ advantage.
The odds were stacked against West Ham before kick-off: No away team had ever won a UEFA Europa League semi-final after losing the first leg at home; Eintracht had won all nine previous UEFA ties in which they recorded an away victory in the first leg.
Overall, West Ham’s performance lacked the usual energy as they failed to trouble the hosts for long periods.
Their only way through seemed via set-pieces, with Kurt Zouma’s headed effort that went wide the closest they came.
David Moyes was also sent off for a furious outburst on the touchline. The Scot booted the ball back at a ball boy, sparking a melee between the two benches.
In the end, Borre’s goal gave the hosts a 1-0 win and sent them through 3-1 on aggregate.
