Zouma: We played with freedom in the second half – West Ham United F.C.

Kurt Zoumahailed the character of his West Ham United team after they overcame a difficult opening to Thursday's UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final first leg against AZ Alkmaar to take a 2-1 advantage to the Netherlands.

The Hammers found themselves 1-0 down four minutes before the interval when, expecting a foul to be given for an apparent push on Paquet, they were swiftly pushed onto the back foot by an AZ break.

Tijjani Reijnders found the net from distance and all of a sudden the Irons were up against it in east London.

But the hosts came on strongly in the contest's final quarter, with Sad Benrahma's penalty and Michail Antonio's close range finish ensured they would lead 2-1 at the halfway stage of the tie.

Now they have to finish the job, as Zouma told West Ham TV.

It was a tough game - its a semi-final and we were playing against a great side.

Obviously it was good to get back into the game. At 1-0 down its never easy, but the fans helped us today and we put a shift in, especially in the second half.

I wouldnt say it was frustrating in the first half. Its like we were, not scared, but its a semi-final.

Obviously you want to test out the other team, see how they play and adapt to it. We had a few chances before half-time, but couldnt make the most of them. They scored from a long-range shot, but thats all they had in the first half.

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Zouma: We played with freedom in the second half - West Ham United F.C.