West Ham emerged victorious in their group stage game against Serbian side Backa Topola 1-0 to seal a knockout spot in Europa League on Thursday night.
Three points secured ✅ pic.twitter.com/Gn0hwiJ8QY
— West Ham United (@WestHam) November 30, 2023
The Hammers were missing several key players due to injury and illness and their absence could be felt as the English team performed well underneath their standards. Despite that, a conservative, but sufficient display saw them emerged victorious.
A late strike from Tomas Saucek was all the Hammers needed to secure the 3 points.
Freiburg’s humiliating 5-0 defeat over Olympiacos has sent David Moyes’ side down to second place, meaning they will need victory over the Bundesliga team if they want to emerged as winners from Group A.
However, with the late winner West Ham go into next month’s tie knowing a draw will see them avoid an unwanted play-off round in February.