West Ham United came from a goal down before Alphonse Areola’s two penalty shootout saves secured a pre-season victory over French visitors LOSC Lille. It was a tale of two experienced international centre-forwards in normal time. First, old adversary Olivier Giroud returned to haunt West Ham with a well-taken goal in first half stoppage-time, then Niclas Füllkrug levelled with a clinical finish three minutes from the end of the second.

Into the shootout and Areola denied Nathan Ngoy to take it to sudden death, then kept out Lilian Baret’s spot-kick to secure a welcome and deserved win for Head Coach Graham Potter and his squad. This victory brought an end to West Ham’s five-match, four-country pre-season adventures, with the 2025/26 Premier League campaign next up, kicking-off at Sunderland on Saturday 16 August.

Against Lille, an entertaining game saw the two teams trade chances and both goalkeepers called into action throughout, and West Ham deservedly coming out on top in the end.

Jarrod Bowen, who netted against Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth during the Premier League Summer Series in the United States, went close to adding another goal inside four minutes. The No20 won possession from Alexsandro and raced into the penalty area but saw his left-foot shot saved by Arnaud Bodart.

Lille’s veteran Algeria right-back Aïssa Mandi, who would go off injured before half-time, then arrowed a 25-yarder past Areola’s top left-hand corner. Two minutes later, on eleven, the outstanding El Hadji Malick Diouf delivered a superb cross from deep, but Bowen’s touch unfortunately let him down.

On 16, Mandi and Ngal'ayel Mukau combined and Giroud teed-up Iceland international Hákon Arnar Haraldsson, whose first-time shot was well blocked by a sliding Maximilian Kilman. Four minutes later, Haraldsson turned provider after intercepting on the edge of the West Ham penalty area, but Norwegian Marius Broholm shot across the face of goal and wide.

Then, to complete a lively opening quarter, Bowen got away from Mandi and Ngoy, using his low centre of gravity, and into the Lille box. He fed James Ward-Prowse, who curled inches wide. Lille took their turn to threaten again next, as another long-range shot, this time from left-back Romain Perraud, was parried by a diving Areola. However, the Frenchman could do nothing to stop his fellow 2018 FIFA World Cup winner Giroud opening the scoring with the final kick of the first half.

Thirty-five-year-old Lille captain Benjamin André was given too much time to pick out fellow veteran Giroud. The 38-year-old – returning to France this summer 13 years after he departed Montpellier for Arsenal – lost his markers, controlled on his chest and expertly steered the ball into the top right-hand corner. With that, referee Darren England blew for half-time.

Less than three minutes after the break, Bowen went close again, racing onto Füllkrug’s  pass and holding off two defenders, but poking his shot a yard past the post. West Ham remained on top and minutes later Aaron Wan-Bissaka crossed to the far post for fellow wing-back Diouf, who headed back across goal and wide. The Irons kept pushing and, after fine work from Freddie Potts and Bowen, Füllkrug met Wan-Bissaka’s cross with a powerful header that Bodart did well to push over the crossbar. 

Kilman then nodded the resulting Ward-Prowse corner over, before Nayef Aguerd headed the next corner past the far post, then Füllkrug blasted high and wide from Lucas Paquetá’s rolled pass and Ward-Prowse fired a free-kick into the Lille defensive wall.

With five minutes to go, Diouf, Füllkrug and Bowen combined again on a lightning counter, only for Bodart to turn the England man’s fierce strike onto the crossbar and behind. Then, finally, on 87 minutes, the equaliser came courtesy of Füllkrug. High pressing from Bowen and Kyle Walker-Peters turned the ball over, Tomáš Souček got to the byline and pulled back for the big German to score with a powerful first-time finish.

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Into the penalty shootout and Bodart initially got his revenge, saving Füllkrug’s opening effort. Haraldsson, Bowen, Mukau, Ward-Prowse, Alexsandro, Souček, Soriba Diaoune and Aguerd all scored, before Areola denied Ngoy to take it to sudden death.

Kilman kept his nerve to make it 5-4 West Ham, and Areola saved from Baret to secure the Cup for the Hammers!

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LOSC Lille:

Bodart, Mandi (Touré), Alexsandro, Mukau, Perraud (Cossier), André (Bouaddi), Ngoy, Haraldsson, Correia (Baret), Broholm (Sahraoui), Giroud (Diaoune)