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Fans at London Stadium were left with heads in their hands on Thursday after Angelo Ogbonna was to blame for West Ham falling behind to Serb minnows TSC Backa Topola.
In what should have been a routine win against the team expected to be whipping boys in Group A, it was instead the Hammers who were stung first in their opening fixture of the Europa League season. And Ogbonna may be missing off a few more Christmas card lists as a result of his error in defence.
Less than two minutes into the second period, David Moyes' men appeared safe in their own territory when Ogbonna received the ball as the last man. But rather than take any of the several straightforward options presented to him, the Italian proceeded to turn like a tugboat and lose the ball to TSC's Petar Stanic inside his own half.
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The visitor had a routine run in on goal to put the ball past Lukasz Fabianski and gift his side a surprise lead in east London. Meanwhile, Ogbonna – who served as captain on the night – was left floored by the exchange as fans dubbed the defender 'embarrassing' for his lack of composure.
"F***ing embarrassing," wrote another incensed supporter on social media. "Ogbonna wtf mate. Awful." A third said the stand-in skipper 'acted foolishly' by not taking an easier option sooner.
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Still, it apparently served to light a fire under the team as West Ham responded with three goals in the space of 16 minutes to seal a comfortable win. Nemanja Petrovic's own-goal levelled the score after 66 minutes, while Mohammed Kudus' maiden West Ham goal and Tomas Soucek's nerve-settler eased any remaining tensions.
It's just as well, too, given the other teams in Group A – Freiburg and Olympiakos – are likely to put up much more resistance. Therefore, a home win over Europa League debutants TSC will be considered crucial if they hope to advance.
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Still, the sight of Ogbonna's spin and slip is sure to be etched in the memories of more than a few Hammers supporters. And if the former Juventus man was expecting to work his way back into Moyes' first-choice XI, Thursday's display is unlikely to have bolstered his case.
West Ham enter this term's European campaign with high prospects after clinching silverware in the Conference League last term. Moyes will need to be able to rely on his reserves to navigate such a busy schedule, however, and Ogbonna has received an early wake-up call to concentrate in clutch moments.
- West Ham FC
- Premier League
- Europa League
- Footballblog
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