Ghana international Mohammed Kudus played a pivotal role in West Ham United’s impressive victory over Freiburg, securing their spot in the Europa League quarterfinals.
Kudus, 23, scored both goals in the second half of the match, helping the Hammers overturn their first-leg deficit.
West Ham, trailing 1-0 after their initial loss in Germany, got off to a strong start with Lucas Paqueta opening the scoring after just nine minutes.
Jarrod Bowen doubled the lead in the 32nd minute, giving West Ham the lead for the first time in the tie, before Aaron Cresswell added a third with a brilliant strike.
Kudus then took center stage, scoring his first goal in the 77th minute. Starting from his own half, he dribbled past four Freiburg players before calmly finishing with his weaker foot to make it 4-0.
He completed his brace in the 85th minute with a left-footed strike that found the bottom corner, sealing a 5-0 victory for West Ham.
With this win, West Ham advances to the Europa League quarterfinals, with the draw scheduled for Friday, March 15.