West Ham United slipped to a 2-1 defeat to German side Werder Bremen in the Betway Cup on Sunday.
Despite a Diafra Sakho opener, a cushioned volley from Dimitri Payet’s chipped delivery, an Anthony Ujah first-half brace was enough to seal the win for the visitors.
West Ham started brightly and had the first chance of note, when Mauro Zarate was felled on the left edge of the box inside three minutes. Payet sized it up, but slammed the dead ball into the wall.
Then Zarate twisted this way and that inside the box, but found his every avenue to goal blocked.
With 15 gone, Payet looked for Sakho down the middle. The Senegal man looked favourite for a moment, but the Werder Bremen ‘keeper was quickly off his line to gather.
He could do nothing, however, about the 19th-minute opener. Payet dinked a low ball into the box from the right and though it was fractionally behind the No15, his right-foot volley from 12 yards was crisp and sped into the bottom corner.
West Ham’s lead would scarcely last a minute. Ujah strode forward and his speculative strike from the best part of 30 yards slid through the arms and under the body of Adrian.
At the other end, Mark Noble picked out the run of Sakho, who in turn squared for Payet and the Frenchman’s curler forced Felix Wiedwald to save to his left.
But Ujah was not done yet. The Nigerian wriggled free of West Ham’s centre-halves and as the ball bobbled into his path, he dispatched an angled drive into the far corner. Adrian was well beaten this time.
As the half ticked down, Zarate saw his shot fisted clear by the ‘keeper, before Payet met Jenkinson’s right-wing cross, but rather scuffed his effort.
Slaven Bilic made four changes at the interval, with Adrian, Jenkinson, Reece Oxford and Payet the men to make way. In their stead came Raphael Spiegel, James Collins, Diego Poyet and debutant Manuel Lanzini.
It was not long before young Spiegel was called upon, diving away to his left to acrobatically tip Felix Kroos’ vicious strike behind. It was a fine stop and he collected the resulting corner with conviction too.
Five further changes duly followed shortly after the hour. On for Lewis Page, Angelo Ogbonna, Noble, Cheikhou Kouyate and Zarate came Josh Cullen, Morgan Amalfitano, Doneil Henry, Modibo Maiga and Kyle Knoyle.
The visitors made three changes of their own, and the game, rather inevitably, lost much of its rhythm.
Argentine Lanzini showed flashes of what he is about, with quick feet in and around the final third. His free-kick from 25 yards was well struck, if more or less straight down the throat of Wiedwald.
With little more than ten to play, Sakho was just about able to hold off the attentions of the impressive Jannik Vestergaard, but his shot, from an acute angle, flew into the side netting.
West Ham United: Adrian (Spiegel 46), Tomkins, Kouyate (Maiga 63), Zarate (Cullen 63), Jenkinson (Collins 46), Sakho, Noble (Amalfitano 63), Ogbonna (Henry 63), Payet (Lanzini 46), Oxford (Poyet 46), Page (Knoyle 63)
Subs: Lee, Howes, Nasha, Pask
Booked: Poyet
Goals: Sakho 19
Werder Bremen: Wiedwald, Lukimya, Vestergaard, Fritz, Kroos (Frode 63), Garcia, Ujah, Bartels (Manneh 63), Grillitsch, Eggestein (Zander 63)
Subs: Hajrovic, Pavlovic, Husing, Sternberg, Husic
Goals: Ujah 20, 31
Referee: Graham Scott