Gianluca Scamacca rampaged like a Viking as the Italian striker scored his first West Ham goal against Denmark’s Viborg last night.
And the £30.5m forward showed he will be a real danger in the Premier League as he led the Hammers to victory in this Europa Conference League playoff first leg. Scamacca’s early header was followed by a second-half strike by Jarrod Bowen before the Danes gave the hosts a brief scare with a Jacob Bonde goal.
But sub Michail Antonio netted a third to give the Hammers a comfortable advantage to take to Jutland on Thursday. After opening league defeats against Manchester City and Forest, West Ham’s season is finally up and running. And new centre-back Thilo Kehrer also made his debut from the bench to add to the feelgood factor in the London Stadium
It was a more low-key return to European football than West Ham’s explosive defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semis in May. David Moyes was in the stands serving his one-match ban for kicking a ball at a ballboy with assistant Billy McKinlay in charge on the touchline.
And captain Declan Rice was also suspended for accusing the referee of “corruption” while Aaron Cresswell was also out after his red card. The Hammers made seven changes from the weekend Forest defeat with Maxwell Cornet also making his first start and Angelo Ogbonna returning from his ACL injury to captain the side.
Viborg were making their first European appearance for over 20 years without Nigerian winger Ibrahim Said and Gambian forward Alassana Jatta after the pair failed to obtain visas to get into the UK. Former Leeds forward Jay-Roy Gort was in the Vitborg team supported by a hardcore of loud, topless fans in the half-empty London Stadium.
But it was the tattooed Scamacca who left the biggest mark on the evening. After only 24 minutes of his first Hammers start, he rose to power home a header from a Cornet cross. And it was not only the former Sassuolo striker’s direct goal threat. One piece of control by the Roman to kill a high ball stone dead would have been worthy of the Colosseum.
Bowen seemed to have settled the tie when he fired home from 25 yards after 64 minutes. But after the Hammers made a triple substitution, Bonde cut the lead in half when he climbed above Vladimir Coufal to head home at the far post.
But Said Benrahma’s direct running set up Antonio for a simple tap-in with 12 minutes remaining.
