West Ham's route to UEFA Europa Conference League final

The Hammers will look to end their 43-year-old trophy drought in Prague

The UEFA Europa Conference will have new winners for the second year in a row. The final will be played between traditional sides in their respective countries, West Ham and Fiorentina. The Hammers have progressed to their first European final since 1955 and will take on Fiorentina, who've also waited 61 years for the last trophy in Europe. 

David Moyes's side will be confident to face a well-matched opponent who's the highest-scoring team in the competition, with 36 goals in 14 matches. The Hammers will rely on their defensive identity, with players such as centre-back Aguerd and the defensive midfield duo of Rice and Soucek keeping the La Viola attack quiet in Prague. West Ham themselves aren't far behind, scoring 2.3 goals per match (2nd) and having Michael Antonio with six goals in the competition. Here's how they reached the final:

West Ham's progression:

Group B: Table toppers

The Hammers have the perfect group stage performance, which bodes well for the knockout stage. They won six out of six matches in a group consisting of Belgian side Anderlecht, Silkeborg IF from Denmark, and FC FCSB from Romania. They scored 13 goals while conceding only 4, and the gulf in class was very obvious throughout the matches, where they scored three goals per match at least four times out of six.

Round of 16: 0-6 agg vs AEK Larnaca

The dominance in the group stage continued with the Round of 16 match with AEK Larnaca from Cyprus. The difference in quality on the pitch was reflected in the scoreline over two legs, where West Ham scored six goals, including four at home in the second leg, to complete the rout. Antonio scored twice in the first leg, and they didn't even need him in the second as a Bowen brace did the trick.

Quarterfinals: 2-5 agg vs Gent

In the quarterfinals, the first major threat was in the form of Belgian side Gent, who dominated the first leg at home. With 54% possession and twenty shots against them, the Hammers somehow managed to survive with a 1-1 draw. In the return leg, it was talisman Michael Antonio who scored another brace as West Ham won 4-1. Others on the score sheet were Paqueta and Rice, who conceded for the first time in the knockout stages.

Semifinals: 3-1 agg vs AZ Alkmaar

The last four-stage fixture was drawn against Dutch side AZ Alkmaar. With Feyenoord already dominating in the Europa League with their free-flowing football, AZ represented another high-scoring Dutch opponent. The first leg was a close battle where the Hammers conceded possession, but still, we were able to create four big chances and 18 shots. They went behind Tijjani Reijnders' goal in the 41st minute. However, they prevailed in the second half with the home crowd behind them. They scored twice within ten minutes through a Benrahma penalty and Antonio's winner, at 67 and 76 minutes, and won 2-1 in the first leg.

The second leg was a trademark of David Moyes's performance and showed the growth of West Ham as contenders. They conceded over 70% possession with little to no room to operate within their twenty-yard circle. AZ played 603 passes and had 12 shots, but Areola only made 3 saves in total. But substitute Formals scored in stoppage time to take West Ham to a European final after 47 years!