West Ham v Brentford: Hammers pin hopes on Mateus Fernandes in FA Cup | OneFootball

Last Monday, March 9th, West Ham secured a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals after eliminating Brentford, in a match where penalty kicks took center stage (2-2; 5-3 on penalties).

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side, featuring Mateus Fernandes – who was recently praised – in the starting lineup, started the match better, and the thousands of Hammers fans who filled the London Stadium didn’t have to wait long to see a goal. In the 19th minute, after a cross from the former Sporting player, Tomas Soucek headed the ball to captain Jarrod Bowen who, at the near post, tapped it into the back of the net.

The lead lasted only 11 minutes, as, in a somewhat lucky play, Nathan Collins’ shot deflected off Igor Thiago, who was standing still, and crossed the goal line. Still, in a game that was turning into a back-and-forth affair, the response came soon after. In the 34th minute, Kayode brought down Adama Traoré in the box and Bowen stepped up to convert, putting West Ham back in front.

The Hammers’ lead held through a balanced second half, but without many chances, until a mistake by Summerville led to another goal for the Bees. The Dutchman pushed Kayode in the area, with Andy Madley awarding the match’s second penalty. Taking responsibility, Igor Thiago kept his cool and made it 2-2 in the 81st minute, a score that remained until the end of regular time.

Extra time followed with few highlights and, more importantly, no goals. The match therefore went to a penalty shootout, where Ouattara became the villain for Brentford. The striker tried to fool Aréola with a panenka, but it went terribly wrong, with the French goalkeeper staying in the middle of the goal and catching the ball. He ended up being the only one to miss. Bowen, Castellanos, Wilson, Soucek, and Mavropanos scored for West Ham and sent the Londoners to the quarter-finals, where they will face Leeds.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.