Kurt Zoumahailed the character of his West Ham United team after they overcame a difficult opening to Thursday's UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final first leg against AZ Alkmaar to take a 2-1 advantage to the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
The Hammers found themselves 1-0 down four minutes before the interval when, expecting a foul to be given for an apparent push on Paquet, they were swiftly pushed onto the back foot by an AZ break.<\/p>\n
Tijjani Reijnders found the net from distance and all of a sudden the Irons were up against it in east London.<\/p>\n
But the hosts came on strongly in the contest's final quarter, with Sad Benrahma's penalty and Michail Antonio's close range finish ensured they would lead 2-1 at the halfway stage of the tie.<\/p>\n
Now they have to finish the job, as Zouma told West Ham TV.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It was a tough game - its a semi-final and we were playing against a great side.<\/p>\n
Obviously it was good to get back into the game. At 1-0 down its never easy, but the fans helped us today and we put a shift in, especially in the second half.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I wouldnt say it was frustrating in the first half. Its like we were, not scared, but its a semi-final.<\/p>\n
Obviously you want to test out the other team, see how they play and adapt to it. We had a few chances before half-time, but couldnt make the most of them. They scored from a long-range shot, but thats all they had in the first half.<\/p>\n
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Zouma: We played with freedom in the second half - West Ham United F.C.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kurt Zoumahailed the character of his West Ham United team after they overcame a difficult opening to Thursday's UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final first leg against AZ Alkmaar to take a 2-1 advantage to the Netherlands. Continue reading