Andy Carroll was all smiles after scoring twice as West Ham United officially opened the Club’s new London Stadium home with a five-goal thriller against Juventus.
While the Italian champions may have edged out their hosts in front of a record 53,966-strong crowd, the Hammers’ No9 was at his powerful best with a pair of trademark goals.
After falling 2-0 down to an impressive Juventus, Carroll followed up after Gianluigi Buffon had saved his initial effort from Sam Byram’s centre, then levelled with an unstoppable header from Mark Noble’s right-wing cross.
An impressive second half display looked likely to earn Slaven Bilic’s team a draw, only for Italy duo Andrea Barzagli and Simone Zaza to combine for Juve’s 85th-minute winner.
“The result didn’t go our way, but it was good to get two goals and start scoring again,” Carroll told West Ham TV after opening his account on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. “I think it was perfect for the players, the fans and the Club and great for everyone involved.
“It was a good day, the fans came out and were great in the lovely weather. It was nice to get scoring goals in this stadium as soon as possible and get a feel for it. It was good for the fans who turned up, too.
“I’m feeling good, you know. I got through pre-season really well, so now I’m just looking forward to the start of the season and to keep producing my performances and scoring goals and for the team to do well.”
Carroll was full of praise for teammates Byram and Noble, who each provided the perfect ball for his to nod powerfully on the Juventus goal.
While Buffon made a spectacular stop to prevent his first effort going in, the Italy No1 was powerless to keep out Carroll’s second effort. Then, seven minutes after half-time, he nodded Noble’s cross into the bottom corner to level matters.
“I’ve been screaming out for crosses into the box since I’ve been here and two came in on Sunday and I’ve got my head on them and they ended up in the back of the net, which was great,” he explained.
“It was a great save for the first one, which is why Buffon is one of the best, but I’ve managed to follow it in and got a tap-in.”
Pre-season preparations complete, West Ham will spend the week working at Rush Green before travelling to Chelsea for their Premier League opener on Monday 15 August.
Before then, Carroll expects the Hammers to make further additions to their squad.
“We’ve got a good squad. The manager has done well in the transfer window and he has probably got a couple more signings to make to make us complete.
“We’ve bonded pretty well over pre-season. Our dressing room is very good at welcoming new people in and I think we’re all relishing the start of the Premier League season now.”