TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (Interstat) — In a dramatic and physical UEFA Europa Conference League match played far from either club’s home, West Ham United rallied from a two-goal deficit to secure a 2-2 draw with Dutch side AZ on Saturday.

The Group Stage fixture, contested at the neutral Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés, saw the English Premier League side fight back after a disastrous opening half-hour. The match was officially a home game for West Ham.

AZ, which entered the contest with a stronger record in the competition, struck first in the 26th minute through David Flores. The visitors doubled their lead just nine minutes later when Aldo Fajardo found the net, putting West Ham in a deep hole.

The Dutch side’s control was solidified just before halftime. In the 41st minute, midfielder Tijjani Reijnders of Zwolle, Netherlands, scored a crucial away goal, assisted by Sven Mijnans of Spijkenisse, cutting West Ham’s deficit to 2-1 heading into the break. Reijnders played the full 90 minutes.

The second half belonged to West Ham’s resurgence. The comeback began in the 67th minute when attacker Mohamed Saïd Benrahma, from Aïn Témouchent, Algeria, scored to energize his side. Benrahma also played the entire match.

The equalizer came eight minutes later. Substitute Michail Antonio, a midfielder from London, Jamaica, entered the fray in the 10th minute and made a decisive impact, scoring in the 75th minute to complete the comeback and secure a valuable point for the Hammers.

The match was a chippy affair, with four yellow cards issued. AZ’s Mees de Wit was booked in the 16th minute, setting a physical tone. West Ham’s Lucas Paquetá received a yellow in the 57th minute, quickly followed by a caution for AZ’s Jordy Clasie in the 58th. AZ goalkeeper Mathew Ryan was also shown a yellow card in the 65th minute.

The result leaves West Ham United with an undefeated record in the Conference League this season, now at one win and one draw. AZ’s record in the competition moved to five wins, four losses and two draws. The draw represents a positive outcome for West Ham given their overall season struggles across all competitions, and it negated a pre-game projection from Interstat’s simulator, which had forecast a 2-1 victory for AZ. The same service’s ELO rating system had given West Ham a 70.2% probability to win.

AZ will host the return leg of this fixture on Sunday. West Ham’s next match is a Premier League encounter against Chelsea, also on Saturday.