Backa Topola 0-1 West Ham: Hammers seal qualification for the Europa League knockout stages with a late winner from Tomas Soucek in Serbia

West Ham advanced to the knockout stages of the Europa League after a 1-0 win against Serbian side Backa Topola on Thursday night.  

David Moyes was without several first team regulars due to injury and illness and their absence was felt as the Premier League outfit were well below their best.

But in the 89th minute of a game lacking in overall quality, Soucek arrived at the far post and prodded home Thilo Kehrer's pin-point delivery. 

Freiburg's thumping victory over Olympiacos had sent the Hammers down to second in the group, meaning they would require a win against the Bundesliga outfit to qualify as group winners in their final game. 

However, with the late winner West Ham go into next month's tie knowing a draw will see them avoid an unwanted play-off round in February. 

More to follow.