Mohammed Kudus and Jarred Bowen starred for West Ham United as the London outfit came back from a 1-0 first leg loss to defeat Freiburg 5-0 on Thursday night and progress to the Europa League quarter-finals.
Lucas Paqueta put the Hammers in front before Bowen doubled their lead to give them the edge going into the beak
Aaron Cresswell made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute and Kudus rounded things up with a brace in the closing 13 minutes.
A star performance from our Starboy ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/py9IQQtFlR
— West Ham United (@WestHam) March 15, 2024
Speaking of Kudus after the game, Bowen described the Ghanaian as a special player.
“He [Kudus] is a special player and I see it when he dribbles all the time. I enjoy playing with Mo and he enjoys playing with me and we have a connection. Here’s to more goals,” Bowen told the club website.
“The number of times he won the ball back, dribbled and the kept on running with the ball was brilliant. He’s so direct, has an eye for goal, and even had the composure to finish it with his right foot despite being a left-footed player. I’m really happy for him.”
1️⃣8️⃣ goals in 3️⃣6️⃣ appearances for Jarrod ???? pic.twitter.com/Ww8SoWZqTD
— West Ham United (@WestHam) March 15, 2024
Kudus meanwhile said of Bowen: “More is coming [from Bowen] and I’m not surprised. He puts the effort in everyday at training and we are trying to be the best we can be.
“He deserves a lot of credit for his pressing and doing his defensive duties as an attacking player. We will look to build on this and keep on pushing for the next games. It’s important we don’t get satisfied now.”
Kudus and Bowen have a combined 33 goals and 12 assists between them this season in all competitions.
