“I put a stamp on it” – Player says he stopped Paqueta’s West Ham showboating last week

West Ham United have three wins from three matches in the UEFA Conference League this season.

David Moyes’ side take on Anderlecht today and a victory at home will see them finish the group on top of the table and progress to the knockout stage of the competition.

The Belgian club suffered a defeat to West Ham at home last Thursday as substitutes Gianluca Scamacca and Lucas Paqueta made the difference in the end.

Moyes introduced the duo in the 69th minute and 10 minutes later, the Brazil international assisted Scamacca’s goal. The South American did not waste time in showcasing his skills at the Lotto Park. He was seen controlling the ball rabona-style, which led to the West Ham bench reacting positively.

Speaking to the Belgian media, Amadou Diawara stressed that Anderlecht cannot let such incident to take place at home. He used this incident as an example while discussing his mentality.

“I play above all for entertainment, even if it has become my job. When I was little, my father forbade me to touch a ball. He wanted me to become a math teacher like him. I had facilities at school but I wanted to follow my dream,” Diawara was quoted as saying by La Dernière Heure.

“When I go through difficult times, I think about all that and my friends who are not lucky enough to be where I am. I can’t have come this far and given up. That’s the mentality I use on the pitch. I want to fight until the end.”

“Last week against West Ham, when Paqueta showed a few skills as soon as he came into the pitch, I put a stamp on it. We can’t tolerate letting people play like this, especially at home. I wanted to show him that he was not at home.”

“It’s with this mentality that we have to play. We have to become more aggressive. It will come but the team is young, it’s normal.”