It is a fixture that everyone associated with West Ham United will never forget.
While European nights under the lights have become somewhat of a regular occurrence in recent seasons, no player or coach is taking them for granted, with the occasion often proving to be a special one for both the individuals and the collective.
One such night will always be championed, by fans and officials alike, as particularly special. Everything about that March evening against Sevilla – the atmosphere, the opponent, the context and circumstance – will see it live long in the memory.
That is certainly the case for Pablo Fornals.
“I think Sevilla at home was an unreal game, and an unreal performance,” the Spaniard said. “Everyone was at their best on that day and I think we could still be playing today and they still would not score a goal. We were really, really strong.”
SETTING THE SCENE
Starting his footballing journey in his native Spain, Fornals knew better than most the threat Sevilla could pose against the Hammers. The midfielder had played against Rojiblancos throughout his early career, for Málaga and Villarreal.
“I hadn’t really had much success against Sevilla before,” the 27-year-old recalled. “I have played against them in La Liga and it is always tough to play against them. They are a very good team, with some great players.
“I think I was on the winning team against them with Málaga once, and we got a few points from them when I was at Villareal, but they were always a challenge.
“To beat them in Europa League though is incredible. The amount of times they’ve won that trophy, Sevilla pretty much own that cup, so to get past them in the competition was excellent.”
The first leg of that Europa League round of 16 tie was Fornals’ sixth match against Sevilla, with the hosts running out 1-0 winners against the Hammers thanks to Munir El Haddadi’s 60th minute finish.
At the time, Sevilla were six time winners of the UEFA Europa League and, with their advantage from the first game, many neutrals were anticipating a place in the last eight for the Spanish side.
However, Fornals and his teammates were confident.
“The first leg was a tight game, and we could have come away from it with something. We had the confidence that we could come back and get the result and go through to the quarter-finals.
“If I remember right, they had a couple of players who were unavailable or injured, but they still had a really good team available.”
YARMO’S SPECIAL MOMENT
The significance of the occasion could be felt in the very air at London Stadium hours before kick-off. The wall of noise that greeted the home team, made by the then-largest ever home crowd in West Ham United history, was quite unlike anything ever heard in Stratford before.
Undoubtedly inspired by the belief of the Claret and Blue Army, the Irons attacked their Spanish opponents and got their reward on 39 minutes. Michail Antonio's well-placed cross from the left found Tomáš Souček, who looped in his header to give West Ham the lead on the night, and level the tie on aggregate.
As it would happen, Souček’s goal would be the only finish inside 90 minutes. Extra-time would be required in east London.
The moment the home crowd had been waiting for finally came on 112 minutes. Manuel Lanzini superbly switched the play to Fornals, who drove at the Sevilla defence and tried to curl home. Sevilla goalkeeper Bounou saved, but Andriy Yarmolenko was there to turn the ball past his outstretched glove and into the back of the net.
“Russia had invaded Ukraine and, completely understandably, it was a really hard time for Andriy,” Fornals continued. “He had scored against Aston Villa at the weekend as well and that was a special moment for him, and all of us. He really felt the love from the fans that day. Then he got the winning goal against Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League too. I shot, Bounou saved and Yarma was there to put the ball away!
“It was a big moment for him and for the whole team too. It was beautiful. I can remember he was crying and it really wasn’t an easy time for him. For the rest of us, we just wanted to help our friend, our teammate, to stay as strong as possible. For him to get that goal and put us into the quarter-finals was really special.”
AN AWESOME ATMOSPHERE
The full-time scenes were quite unlike anything seen at London Stadium before. Cheering, whooping and songs filled the entire ground as players, coaches and staff celebrated with the Hammers fans lucky enough to be in attendance.
Fornals will always remember that atmosphere, those magic memories. As he explained to summer signing Edson Álvarez earlier this season, anything is possible with the roar of the London Stadium faithful behind you.
He said: “It's up there with one of the best atmospheres I’ve experienced at West Ham. Of course, we won the UEFA Europa Conference League a year later and the noise and atmosphere that night was completely unbelievable. But that night against Sevilla is certainly one of the most special nights at London Stadium for sure.
“I still think about it sometimes and just think ‘wow’, because of what we were able to do. Our supporters were just on top form at London Stadium that night and I feel lucky I was able to be a part of it.
“I had a conversation with Edson Álvarez before our match with Chelsea back in August. He was a little bit nervous about the occasion, his first match at London Stadium, against Chelsea, and I explained to him that he didn’t need to worry. At West Ham, when big teams come to London Stadium, anything can happen.
“We have always given the very best teams a hard game at our home stadium. I can remember us beating Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United at London Stadium – it’s a special place for us and for our fans and it proved to be that way on that European night too.”
EXPERIENCE IN EUROPE
While the 2021/22 European journey would end at the semi-final stage, Fornals will never let the memory of that round of 16 win over Sevilla fade away.
In the No8’s opinion, the run in the Europa League set the Hammers up perfectly for success in the 2022/23 UEFA Europa Conference League which, in turn, has made West Ham an even more formidable opponent on the European stage again this season.
He added: “It’s still heart-breaking to think about how we went out of the Europa League. Losing in the semi-finals to Eintracht Frankfurt was disappointing, but we all learned from that experience, and it made us even stronger when we went to play in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
“Of course, we’re playing in the Europa League again this year and we feel confident. It’s been a good couple of seasons in Europe for us and we want to keep it going."
