BERLIN, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Hammers clinched their second straight victory in Group A after Nayef Aguerd's header sealed all three points at Freiburg on Thursday.
West Ham United got off to a perfect start on the road when Jarrod Bowen's pinpoint cross found Lucas Paqueta, who headed past Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu to break the deadlock with the game's opening chance in the eighth minute.
Freiburg was stunned while the visitors kept the pressure on. Mohammed Kudus rattled the woodwork from inside the box 12 minutes in, and Paqueta had his second goal of the night disallowed due to an offside position three minutes later.
The hosts couldn't inflict any damage to West Ham's defense and were lucky that Atubolu neutralized James Ward-Prowse's low shot just before the break.
After the restart, Freiburg came out with its attack sharpened and got rewarded with the equalizer four minutes into the second half. West Ham custodian Lukasz Fabianski denied Roland Sallai and Lukas Kubler in quick succession before Sallai eventually poked home the second rebound.
Freiburg gained momentum and nearly turned the tides, but Kiliann Sildillia's header hit only the left post in the 55th minute.
Both sides traded attacks as Bowen danced through Freiburg's territory but couldn't beat Atubolu from a tight angle at the hour mark.
Atubolu remained in the thick of things as he underestimated an in-swinging corner from Ward-Prowse, allowing Aguerd to make it 2-1 on the scoreboards after heading the ball into the roof of the net in the 66th minute.
Freiburg pressed frenetically for the equalizer, but West Ham's defense stood firm. The visitors even had the chance to carve out a higher victory, but Kudus and Bowen lacked accuracy in the closing stages.
"We were stronger in the first half and should have scored the second goal. In the second half it was a see-saw match. In the end we defended well. It's a very good result for us," said West Ham defender Thilo Kehrer.
With the win, the Hammers go top in Group A, followed by Freiburg, Olympiacos, and Backa Topola. ■
