‘He could be a hero forever’: Joe Cole leads the praise for Said Benrahma after his impressive performance in the first leg of the Conference League semi-final against AZ Alkmaar… while Owen Hargreaves calls winger West Ham’s ‘star player’ calls
- Benrahma scored West Ham’s equalizer from the penalty spot in the second half
- The Hammers struggled early on, but grew into the game and took the win
- David Moyes’ team travels to the Netherlands to play the semi-finals next week
Joe Cole led the praise for West Ham’s Said Benrahma for his performance in West Ham’s Europa Conference League semi-final victory against AZ Alkmaar.
The Hammers take a 2-1 lead in the second leg in the Netherlands next week after Mikhail Antonio scored the winner from close range at the London Stadium.
Benrahma equalized from the penalty spot in a much improved second half from David Moyes’ side after a disappointing first period as they trailed their opponents.
The Algerian was the Hammers’ star player in the game, converting the penalty in a game where he impressed from the wing and proved to be a constant threat.
Cole praised Benrahma after the match for his knowledge of BT Sport and suggested he could be ‘a hero forever’ if he leads his side to a European final.
Joe Cole insisted Said Benrahma could be ‘forever a hero’ after his performance for West Ham
The attacker scored Hammers’ equalizer against AZ Alkmaar from the penalty spot
Cole said Benrahma ‘had his full-back on toast all game’ in what was a two-half game
“He had his full-back on toast all game,” he said. “He attracts players and he has the quality.
“He will attract players because he has the opportunity. I’ve always been a fan of his. He could be a hero forever after tonight.”
Owen Hargreaves and Carlton Cole echoed their colleagues’ views and praised Benrahma for getting up in the semi-finals.
“The guys in the commentary said he was the best player and he was,” said Hargreaves. “He’s the one who played with the most urgency. No one could really live with him.
“He was always running at people and with his talent. He is very difficult to play against, his teammates kept feeding him.’
Cole added: “He made bad decisions in the first half. It wasn’t all his fault. But they kept feeding him and he was in the mood.
‘He did really well. To me, he is one of the players who can turn the game on or get kicked out of the game. Today he got up and was counted.’
Owen Hargreaves (left) said Benrahma was West Ham’s best player, while Carlton Cole (right) praised the Algerian for ‘standing up and being counted’
West Ham will now take a small 2-1 lead in the second leg in the Netherlands next Thursday