Bowen ends West Ham’s 58-year wait for European title with late winner against Fiorentina

West Ham ended a 58-year wait for a European trophy after Jarrod Bowen scored in the 90th minute to secure a 2-1 win over Fiorentina on Wednesday in the Europa Conference League final.

Bowen ran onto a through ball by Lucas Paqueta before beating goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano with a left-foot shot to complete a quick attack at Eden Arena.

Fiorentina couldn’t answer despite nearly eight minutes of injury time being played, setting off wild celebrations among the West Ham players as they danced in front of their fans after winning the London club’s second ever European title and first since the old European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965.

“It’s what you always say, you want to score in the last minute a winner. And to do it in front of these fans, I thought I was going to cry,” Bowen told British broadcaster BT Sport. “We’ve had a dream. We haven’t had the best season, myself included. But to do what we’ve done tonight for these fans …. to give them this moment, I’m over the moon.”

West Ham only finished 14th in the Premier League but went unbeaten through its European campaign, coming through qualifying before winning 12 out of 13 games in the tournament. The win also means it earns a berth in the Europa League next season.

“I’ve had a long career in football and you don’t get many moments like,” said West Ham coach David Moyes, whose job was under threat earlier in the season as the team was struggling near the relegation zone in the league.

It is Moyes’ first major trophy after a 25-year managerial career that has spanned more than 1,000 games and also included stints at Everton and Manchester United. Moyes became the first Scottish coach to win a UEFA competition since 2008 when Alex Ferguson claimed his second Champions League title with Man United.