Vienna Austria, December 18th, 2024: Eva Nystrom (2 Hammarby) driving the ball forward during the UEFA Womens European Champions League match St Polten vs Hammarby at Viola Park Tom Seiss / SPP (Tom Seiss / SPP)
West Ham United boss Rita Guarino reassured fans after Eva Nystrom was stretchered off against Arsenal having received lengthy treatment on the pitch.
Nystrom picked up an injury as she made a last-ditch tackle on the Gunners’ Stina Blackstenius, and was replaced by Shelina Zadorsky – herself on the comeback trail following four months out.
And Guarino had positive news about Nystrom after the match.
“Fortunately, [her injury] is better than we thought,” she told the club’s official website.
“It was important and an opportunity for Shelina to jump in the game. After many months away, it was very important for her to come back, and we’re very happy for her.”
The Hammers ultimately fell to a 5-0 defeat against Arsenal, which Guarino admitted was “disappointing”.
But she added: “Against this top team, against the champions of Europe, you can make little mistakes that can determine everything, because they are able to move in the small spaces. We needed to pay more attention to the details and be more aggressive on the ball.”
And she went on: “In the first half, we also conceded in the first minutes. It was hard to stay focused on that. It’s hard. If you concede early, it’s hard.”
Ylinn Tennebo: West Ham must forget the result
And midfielder Ylinn Tennebo agreed, explaining: “We tried to stay compact like we did on Wednesday [in the draw against Manchester United], but we got punished for our mistakes. It wasn’t good enough from us.”
But she was keen to tell her team-mates they needed to move on from the disappointment, saying: “We need to forget the result today. We need to forget about the result today and reset, because we need all the points we can get between now and the end of the season.”
