West Ham United vs AZ Alkmaar.

West Ham United vs AZ Alkmaar.

Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio give West Ham a 2-1 victory over AZ Alkmaar to advance to the Europa Conference League semi-finals.

Report from the first leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final between West Ham and AZ Alkmaar at the London Stadium. Goals from Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio give the Hammers the advantage going into next week's return leg.

Before Michail Antonio's goal gave West Ham a 2-1 lead against AZ in their European Conference League semifinal first leg, David Moyes acknowledged he was set to substitute Antonio.

Tijjani Reijnders gave the Dutch team the lead four minutes before halftime following a contentious buildup. However, the Hammers were able to tie the game thanks to Said Benrahma's penalty after a sluggish start to the second half.

After a change in momentum, David Moyes' team finally seized the lead thanks to a prod from Antonio after Nayef Aguerd's header was cleared off the line.

Antonio's 14th goal of the year, the finest performance of his eight seasons in east London, was sufficient to give West Ham the lead going into the second leg in the Netherlands on Thursday.

Danny Ings was going to replace him, Moyes admitted after the game. We simply needed a different approach at the very end, and if it had been five minutes sooner, I might have removed him.

How West Ham Rallied to seize control

West Ham took the pitch in east London for their second European semi-final in a row in an effort to reach their first European final since 1976. Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnics, and a cauldron of noise awaited the teams. It was a setting appropriate for a championship, let alone the last four.

The Hammers created a number of chances as a result of their willingness to allow their Dutch opponents to retain possession in order to play on the counter. Following Declan Rice's cross, Jarrod Bowen flicked a header over, then Benrahma forced former Brighton custodian Mat Ryan to make a fingertip stop before shooting over from deep.

But their half-time expected goals figure of 0.71 from eight shots illustrated an absence of distinctiveness in the final third.

From nowhere, AZ took the lead - and in highly controversial circumstances. Sam Beukema appeared to shove Lucas Paqueta as the pair leaped for an aerial ball, but referee Halil Umut Meler allowed play to continue, with the ball being worked up the pitch to Reijnders, who took one touch and beat Areola.

West Ham's drive appeared to have evaporated when the second half got going and the frustration in the stands grew with each poor final ball or cheap turnover. AZ was keeping control of the tie and doing a good job of it, too.

Then, the Hammers received a welcome lifeline. Ryan leaped to punch a cross clear but was beaten to the ball by Bowen, who received a strong hand to the face and won a penalty for his troubles. Benrahma stepped up and applied the ideal combination of power and placement that left the Australian with no chance.

After scoring an equalizer, West Ham quickly gained momentum, and 14 minutes from time, AZ found themselves down a goal when Aguerd's header was cleared off the line following Rice's clipped ball in from the left. Antonio only needed one invitation to complete the three yards.

In the final 10 minutes, Benrahma had two more opportunities to extend his team's lead. When AZ finally responded, the task was already halfway complete.