{"id":293346,"date":"2023-10-05T21:24:52","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T21:24:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/?p=293346"},"modified":"2023-10-05T21:24:52","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T21:24:52","slug":"maverick-lucas-paqueta-impresses-david-moyes-in-west-hams-europa-league-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/soccer\/maverick-lucas-paqueta-impresses-david-moyes-in-west-hams-europa-league-win\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Maverick\u2019 Lucas Paqueta impresses David Moyes in West Ham\u2019s Europa League win"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
David Moyes saluted his \u201cmaverick\u201d forward Lucas Paqueta after the 2-1 Europa League win at Freiburg, even though he drives him mad.<\/p>\n
Freiburg\u2019s nickname is the Breisgau Brazilians due to their flamboyant style of play, but it was West Ham\u2019s Samba star Paqueta who stole the show.<\/p>\n
He put them ahead after only nine minutes with a towering header from a cross by Jarrod Bowen, celebrating his return to the England squad.<\/p>\n
Paqueta then spent the rest of the evening tormenting the hosts with his array of flicks, tricks and occasional theatrics.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a bit of an old-fashioned goal, down the side with a good cross, and then a great header like an old-fashioned centre forward. I really enjoyed watching it,\u201d said Hammers boss Moyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cJarrod played well but Lucas was terrific. He drives me mad sometimes but everybody who watched him would have said this player has got incredible talent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a word that goes around, a maverick. He is that for us.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is really important we get him in and adapt to him and accept some of his things he may not do, things which I would say are conventional.<\/p>\n
There is a word that goes around, a maverick. He is that for us<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we are really enjoying him at the moment and he is terrific at taking the ball under pressure \u2013 but also there are moments when I say: \u2018what are you doing\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n
The match may have taken place on the edge of the Black Forest, but it was never going to be a piece of cake for the Hammers against a side eighth in the Bundesliga.<\/p>\n
They were also up against 34,000 noisy fans, with no away supporters allowed to attend following incidents during West Ham\u2019s Europa Conference League final triumph in June.<\/p>\n
Freiburg equalised after half-time through Roland Sallai, but Nayef Aguerd\u2019s header from a James Ward-Prowse corner made it two wins from two in Group A and a 17th match undefeated in Europe, a record for an English club.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a brilliant achievement, I\u2019ve said to the boys we need to keep it going. Winning the game tonight was most important,\u201d added Moyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really pleased. We played very well especially, in the opening 20 or 30 minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey came back, which I expected. They got better and we had moments when we played very well but we mainly won the first half. We had to then be good defensively.\u201d<\/p>\n