Soccer
Valentin Castellanos nets brace as West Ham see off Portsmouth in Carabao Cup
Valentin Castellanos scored twice in an emphatic comeback win as West Ham beat Portsmouth 3-1 in front of the largest-ever crowd at a Carabao Cup first-round match.
The Argentinian’s brace helped get the Hammers’ season off to a winning start and propelled them through to the second round, two months after suffering Premier League relegation.
It also gave their rowdy fans something to cheer about on a day when under-fire West Ham co-owner David Sullivan sat in the stands, despite being advised not to attend by London Stadium operators amid an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
The Hammers’ pedestrian start was punished by Pompey in the 33rd minute when Adrian Segecic controlled Maximilian Kilman’s clearance and let fly with a left-footed shot which rebounded off the West Ham defender and into the bottom corner.
West Ham jolted into life shortly before the interval and drew level when Mohamadou Kante’s simple cut-back was directed into the far corner by Castellanos.
Captain Jarrod Bowen put the hosts in front two minutes later after latching on to Pablo’s mis-controlled pass and sending Nicolas Schmid the wrong way with a deflected effort from range.
The victory was sealed when Castellanos nodded in Bowen’s cross following good work from Kyle Walker-Peters to start the attack.
