Prague, June 6 (BNA): West Ham and Fiorentina have not won a European title in over 50 years.
The drought will end for one of them when they contest the Europa League final on Wednesday in Prague, reports the Associated Press.
West Ham secured their only European trophy in 1965, the old European Cup Winners’ Cup. Alan Seeley scored twice as 1860 Munich defeated 2-0 at Wembley Stadium. The Hammers reached the final again in 1976.
Fiorentina’s only European trophy was also the Cup Winners’ Cup, the first back in 1961 when they beat Rangers in the first leg, 4-1 on aggregate.
By reaching the second final of the European Conference League, Fiorentina became the first club to be a finalist in four major continental competitions.
Fiorentina lost to Real Madrid in the 1957 European Cup (the forerunner of the UEFA Champions League), and were defeated by Juventus in the 1990 UEFA Cup Final. They also failed to win back-to-back Cup Winners’ Cups, losing the 1962 final to Atlético Madrid.
After their run in the Europa League semi-finals a year earlier, West Ham marched into Prague as the only unbeaten team in Europe’s third tier.
West Ham won 13 matches including the qualifiers, and drew 1–1 with Gent in the first leg of the quarter-final. The Hammers were the first team to win all six group stage meetings.
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