West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has insisted that his side's 1-1 draw with Astra Giurgiu this evening is a "good result".
The Hammers conceded a late equaliser in Romania as they bid for a place in the group stages of the Europa League, but they will welcome Astra back to the Olympic Stadium holding a slight advantage due to their away goal.
Bilic admitted that it was a "shame" to have conceded the late leveller, but believes that his side will be able to complete the job next week.
"It is a shame, but it is a good result. A couple of minutes before the goal we had a good counter with Marcus Browne but unfortunately we missed the target. Instead of 2-0, and probably killing the game, they get a corner and score," he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.
"We hope we will win the second leg but this was a mixed side with senior and youngsters, it is a good result. We played with some young kids and it was a great experience for them. We only wanted to rest two or three players but the rest are out because they could not play."
Before the Hammers welcome Astra to London, they will host Bournemouth on Sunday in their first Premier League outing at the Olympic Stadium.
Barney Corkhill
