Amber Tysiak marked her 50th appearance for West Ham United women in perfect fashion as the Hammers claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion in the Subway Women’s League Cup at Chigwell Construction Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The Belgian defender completed the full 90 minutes in Dagenham and played a key role in a resilient display from Rehanne Skinner’s side.After Brighton took an early lead through Carla Camacho, West Ham hit back before half-time when Seraina Piubel fired home her first goal of the season, smashing the ball into the roof of the net after excellent work from Shekiera Martinez on the right wing.
The game was decided in the final stages as the Hammers’ persistence paid off. A clearance from Caitlin Hayes ricocheted off substitute Riko Ueki, falling kindly for Martinez, who guided a composed finish beyond the Brighton goalkeeper with fifteen minutes left on the clock.
Tysiak, who joined the club in January 2023, was handed the captain’s armband for the second half following Shelina Zadorsky’s withdrawal and led by example throughout.
“It’s a real honour to have played 50 matches for this club,” she said. “To wear the armband and celebrate the milestone with a win is really special. It’s a privilege to lead such a great group of players.”
The 25-year-old was full of pride after the match and praised the collective effort of the squad. “I think it was a really strong team performance," she added. "Everyone played their part, starters, subs, even those on the bench, we did it together. It’s been difficult for us to find goals recently, so to score twice against a good Brighton side shows how far we’ve come.”
The result keeps West Ham top of Group C, extending their lead at the summit to three points with two group matches remaining. Tysiak believes the win can serve as the perfect platform heading into Sunday’s Barclays Women’s Super League clash with London City Lionesses.
“This victory gives us a big confidence boost,” added Tysiak. “We needed this one, and because it came from such a united performance, I think it sets us up really well for the weekend.”
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