West Ham boss Moyes hails Rice's 'Roy of the Rovers' goal in Genk rout
David Moyes hails Declan Rice’s ‘Roy of the Rovers’ wonder goal after the West Ham midfielder ran 60 yards, evading two challenges before coolly slotting the ball home in the Europa Conference League rout of Genk
- Rice scored a goal worthy of Roy Race, comic book hero of Melchester Rovers
- Midfielder won the ball in his own half and ran 60 yards before slotting ball home
- The Hammers will face AZ Alkmaar in Europa Conference League semi-finals
David Moyes branded Declan Rice West Ham’s ‘Roy of the Rovers’ after his memorable solo goal helped them to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.
Hammers skipper Rice scored a goal Roy Race, the comic book hero of Melchester Rovers, would have been proud of as they beat Belgian side Gent 4-1 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate.
The England midfielder won the ball in his own half, took the return ball off Lucas Paqueta and ran fully 60 yards, evading two challenges before slotting the ball home.
‘Certainly it was a fabulous individual goal,’ said Hammers boss Moyes.
‘It was a Roy of the Rovers goal. You dribble, you beat somebody, you do it again and you go on and score. He’s some player, he’s got great ability and that goal just summed him up tonight.
Declan Rice scored a superb solo goal as West Ham beat Gent on Thursday night
Midfielder won the ball in his own half and ran 60 yards before slotting ball home
‘If anyone didn’t think he could do that then they’re completely naive. He’s some player and that’s why we value him so highly.’
The night did not start well for West Ham after Hugo Cuypers bundled Gent into a shock lead after they were gifted possession by Paqueta.
Michail Antonio equalised with a near-post header before half-time, and Paqueta made amends for his error with a penalty after Joseph Okumu handled.
Said Benrahma had scored West Ham’s spot-kick in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal but Paqueta was adamant he was taking it.
‘They must have had a good discussion, because we scored,’ smiled Moyes.
‘Paqueta takes a lot of penalties in training and has an ‘interesting’ style. It makes it nerve-wracking for the manager.’
Rice’s wonder goal put West Ham 3-1 up and Antonio added a fourth with a drive from the edge of the area.
The Hammers will face Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in their second successive European semi-final, having reached the same stage in the Europa League last season.
‘I’m a huge football man and I don’t know when West Ham last had back-to-back European semi-finals,’ said Moyes.
Roy Race, the comic book hero of Melchester Rovers, would have been proud of the goal
West Ham manager David Moyes celebrates with Rice after securing semi-final place
‘Great credit to the players, they’ve done a fantastic job. We won the group last year, won the group this year, and beat some big teams. But Gent made it hard for us.’
Europe has been the one bright spot in a tough season for the Hammers, who are still embroiled in the Premier League relegation battle.
‘If you look back at what pulled this club back together, it was qualifying for Europe two years ago,’ said Moyes.
‘The run has kept everybody positive in what’s been a difficult season. The Premier League is the priority, but we’ll enjoy this one tonight.’
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