Mohammed Kudus says scoring his first goal means a lot to him after doing so in the Hammers’ comeback 3-1 win over Backa Topola in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.
The reigning UEFA Europa Conference League champions went behind in London when Petar Stanic scored two minutes into the second half. David Moyes’ men however responded with Nemanja Petrovic equalising with an own goal that was forced by Kudus in the 66th minute.
The Ghana international went on give West Ham the lead four minutes later by heading in James Ward-Prowse’s corner kick before substitute Tomas Soucek completed the scoring in the 82nd minute.
Kudus is hoping his first West Ham goal builds momentum for his team as they aim to for ultimate glory having reached the semi-finals during the 2021-22 season but lost to eventual champions Eintracht Frankfurt.
“We know James Ward-Prowse has a fantastic delivery and any time we have a set-piece we have a chance to score. On that one I just took my responsibility, made the run and it went in,” Kudus said on the club website.
“The support was incredible from the fans. Even when we were down they kept motivating the team and supporting us.
“It means a lot to me and I’ll keep doing my best like you saw today for the team. That’s what I’m here to do.”
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He further added: “The group stage is all about points and every game is important, particularly the start. We just have to build from this and focus on the next game.
“It’s a good start already but there is a long way to go.”
West Ham’s next opponents will away at Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday. The Reds also came from behind in the their Europa League match against LASK to win by the same 3-1 scoreline, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah getting the goals.
