6:28pm Saturday 8th August 2009
By Kevin Bradford
A SINGLE goal was enough to spoil the conclusion of West Ham's pre-season campaign.
Fabio Quagliarella scored the only goal of the game to clinch the second annual Bobby Moore cup for Italian side SSC Napoli.
In a game that was even on chances, the home side would have hoped to capitalise more on some flowing football and long periods of possession.
With much being made around the lack of strikers at the club, West Ham tried too often to walk the ball into the net when natural goal scorer may have taken a shot.
And they were made to pay when Italy striker Quagliarella latched on to a long ball into the box and looped a shot over Rob Green in the West Ham goal.
The home side pushed for a way back into the game and their cause was helped by the sending off of Christian Maggio for a high tackle on Herita Ilunga.
But that was to be the catalyst for a scrappy end of the game and West Ham could not find the goal that would have taken the tie into penalties.
Napoli started the match stronger and created the early chances. Swift passing by the Serie A team dictated the play and they almost scored within the first minute when Luca Cigarini fired over from the edge of the box after the ball was defected to him.
The same player tried a scissor kick from ten yards out just a few minutes later before the tricky Ezequiel Lavezzi found space around the box, but he again was off target with his shot.
The Hammers were looking off the pace and the lack of early urgency almost saw keeper Green let a back-pass squirm under his foot and into the goal. He was able to scramble back, but could not prevent a corner.
The groans around Upton Park indicated early frustration of the fans who had hoped to see their team come out firing after their 2-0 win over Beijing Guoan in the Asia Trophy.
A lucky ricochet off a team mate saw a powerful shot by Fabio Quagliarella fly over when it seemed as though it may cause Green more problems.
It seemed to be the spark to get the home team playing and some good running by Jack Collison put pressure on the Napoli defence for the first time.
The midfielder bustled through a series of challenges before the ball deflected wide to Carlton Cole who reached the byline only for his clipped cross to be headed behind for a corner.
Kieron Dyer and Luis Jimenez began combining well down both flanks, and with players making runs onto the box from midfield, West Ham started creating more pressure.
Collison was again at the centre of a good chance for the home side. He ran into the box after picking the ball off Jimenez's toe but could not find enough bend to steer his shot on target.
Quagliarella and Michele Pazinza had chances for the visitors but neither of their shots tested Green.
The busy Scott Parker found himself clear on the right side of the box just after the half hour mark, but he was unable to keep his shot down from a tight angle.
Jesus Datolo tried a speculative shot from long range that again failed to make the West Ham keeper work although the home defence had to be alert in the closing moments of the half as a dangerous cross forced James Tomkins to take evasive action.
Marek Hamsik then missed a clear header from a corner but that was to be the last action of a very even first half.
The previously shot shy Hammers bucked their trend of trying to walk the ball into the net immediately after the interval to spark the crowd back into life.
Mark Noble picked up the ball 25 yards out and instead of looking for the pass inside as West Ham often had in the first half, he unleashed a rasping drive which flew just wide of the top corner with the Napoli goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis beaten.
Half time replacement James Collins, who had come on for James Tomkins, tried a long range free kick which went well wide before Parker managed to round the keeper from a Cole flick, only to lose his footing as he went to shoot into the open goal.
Intricate passing again saw Zola's men create openings but their unwillingness to shoot from anywhere outside the six yard box saw them fail to test De Sanctis.
First, Collison could have pulled the trigger when the ball fell to him on the edge of the box, but last season's young player of the year looked for the extra pass and the opportunity went.
Then quick passing around the box allowed Cole to pull the ball across the substitute Savio but he failed to get his shot in and the defence was able to bundle clear the danger.
The breakthrough came on 78 minutes with Napoli's only real attack of the second half.
Quagliarella latched on to a long ball forward, and the striker who only signed for the Italians this summer, was able to get in between the two central defenders and loop the ball over the stranded Green who was standing six yards off his line.
A relatively placid game, which had been played in the spirit of a friendly and of the occasion, then turned sour with a series of tough tackles by the fiery Italians.
A two footed lunge on Herita Ilunga saw substitute Christian Maggio sent off for a second booking.
The challenge seemed to incense the usually timid West Ham left back, who was booked himself for protesting.
Tackles continued to fly in, disrupting the flow of the final few minutes, meaning the 11 men were unable to get into much rhythm in their search for an equaliser.
A series of crosses caused problems at the back for Napoli, with Collins twice forcing De Sanctis to make last ditch punches.
Junior Stanislas, who came on for Collison three minutes from time, managed to find space and get a shot in from 18 yards, but it flew just wide of the goalkeeper's outstretched hand, and the post.
The final whistle was met with groans rather than boos, as West Ham fans left hoping their team will be able to find a cutting edge to their flowing football before the season starts next week.
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