Three months after leaving Upton Park for the final time, and nearly a year to the day since being eliminated from this competition at the same stage by Romanian minnows Astra Giurgiu, two first-half goals from Cheikhou Kayate and a second-half strike by summer signing Sofiane Feghouli secured a comfortable 4-2 aggregate victory over Slovenian outfit NK Domzale.
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Bilic admitted it could take some time before his side feel the benefit of home advantage.
The newly-anointed London Stadium welcomed its long-term tenants exactly four years to the day since London 2012’s Super Saturday – when Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Greg Rutherford all took gold in front of their home fans. “We played some good stuff and the crowd could enjoy some of our lovely moves”.
West Ham fielded a strong starting lineup in defeat to Domzale in the first leg but fell short against opponents whose domestic season is already under way.
Bilic revealed at the press conference Manuel Lanzini is likely to be out for five weeks as he suffered from a knee injury as well as Aaron Cresswell who is also a long-term absentee.
Kent’s only Football League representative, Gillingham, is also some 40 minutes in the auto from Ashford, meaning for fans based in the centre, a trip to watch West Ham is in fact quicker and easier than a voyage to Priestfield. “We want to qualify for the next round”.
Bilic said: “It was a special kind of game for us, the first game at the new Stadium”.
The first leg will be played in Romania on August 18 before the reverse in London the following week.
We have good players to do that. It’s a totally different thing.
“We could have scored more goals, but it was a very mature performance. We don’t have a mountain to climb, but a job to do”.
The Norway global never made an appearance for the Gunners’ first team in a three-year spell at the Emirates Stadium, despite captaining their reserve side during his time in north London.
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Both Davide Santon of Inter Milan and Norwich’s Martin Olsson are reported targets but Bilic remained coy.
