Lusitanos 0-1 West Ham United (agg 0-4)
- Published
New West Ham boss Slaven Bilic made a winning start as his 10-man team eased through their opening Europa League tie against Andorran minnows Lusitanos.
The Croatian took charge for the first time and watched his youthful team follow up a 3-0 first-leg win with a comfortable victory in the return game.
The Hammers played with 10 men for over 75 minutes after Diafra Sakho saw red for clashing with a home defender.
But Elliot Lee slotted in the winner with his first senior Hammers goal.
Bilic, 46, was accused by Lusitanos manager Xavi Roura of "lacking respect" for not taking charge of last week's reverse fixture.
The former West Ham and Everton defender watched from the Boleyn Ground main stand as academy manager Terry Westley oversaw the win.
But Bilic took control of a return leg which saw West Ham set up a second qualifying round tie against Maltese side Birkirkara on 16 and 23 July.
The Hammers must progress through three more rounds to earn a slot in the group stage.
West Ham's path to the Europa League group stage | ||
---|---|---|
First leg | Second leg | |
Second qualifying round | 16 July | 23 July |
Third qualifying round | 30 July | 6 August |
Play-off | 20 August | 27 August |
However, they are set to be without Senegal striker Sakho for their next three European matches after he was dismissed following an off-the-ball altercation with Lusitanos' Luigi San Nicolas.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, an experimental Hammers side - featuring five players aged under 21 - rarely looked like relinquishing their advantage once 20-year-old striker Lee stroked into the bottom corner.
The east London club qualified for Europe's secondary club competition after topping the Premier League's Fair Play League last season.
English rivals Southampton and 2013 Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund enter in the third qualifying round, while 15 sides drop down from the Champions League into the final play-off round.
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