KAA Gent 1-1 West Ham United
UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg, KAA Gent Stadium, Thursday 13 April 2023, 6.45pm CEST (5.45pm BST)
West Ham United and KAA Gent will head to London Stadium with their UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final on a knife-edge after a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Belgium on Thursday.
Danny Ings gave the visitors the lead on the stroke of half-time when he touched home Jarrod Bowen’s low cross, but the Hammers were pushed back by their impressive hosts and Hugo Cuypers netted a deserved leveller on 56 minutes.
Alessio Castro-Montes and Gift Orban went close to a winner for the Belgian Cup holders, while Jarrod Bowen shot wide at the other end, but neither team could find the second goal to give them the edge heading into the second leg.
Looking to extend their perfect run of ten wins from ten European games this season, David Moyes made six changes to his side and it was the Hammers who were on the front foot in the opening exchanges, with wing-backs Emerson and Vladimír Coufal pushing high to stretch the hosts.
However, Gent soon grew into the game, with their fluid attacking movement beginning to pose questions of the Irons.
With ten minutes on the clock, Julien De Sart sent a daisy-cutter into Alphonse Areola’s hands, while the hosts’ power from set-plays became apparent four minutes later, when Jordan Torunarigha rose high to nod Sven Kums’ corner over the top.
The Buffalos were finding pockets of space between the lines too easily, and a driving run from Alessio Castro-Montes ended with a square pass to De Sart, who again shot too close to Areola.
Gent were enjoying the better of the action, although West Ham thought they had taken a 40th minute lead when goalkeeper Davy Roef dropped an inswinging Jarrod Bowen corner and Nayef Aguerd bundled the ball over the line.
Referee Tesos Sidiropolous initially awarded the goal, but his VAR Angelos Evangelou spotted a handball by the Moroccan to rule it out.
In first half stoppage time, though, Gent were behind, as Coufal’s quick thinking from a throw in caught them unawares. Jarrod Bowen darted into the space and crossed low for Ings to tap home.
West Ham were unable to build on their lead at the start of the second half, however, and Gent drew level eleven minutes after the restart.
Sharp passing and movement proved the Irons’ undoing as Castro-Montes advanced down the right and fed Cuypers inside the box to take a sharp touch and shot, giving Areola no chance.
Gent’s tails were up again and Gift Orban – scorer of five Europa Conference League goals in just four games prior to Thursday’s clash – set up Castro-Montes for a decent opening midway through the half, but the Buffalos wing-back dragged his effort wide when he might have done better.
The Hammers’ big chance to take a lead back to London fell to Bowen when Paquetá, only just on as a substitute, played a slide-rule pass into his feet inside the box. Bowen’s first touch was excellent, but his second sent the ball wide of the right-hand post as Roef closed the angle down.
At the other end Orban looped an overhead kick onto the top of the crossbar with eight minutes left to play, while sub Tarik Tissoudali poked wide from close range, but 1-1 was how it ended - only after a busy night for the VAR ended with him overturning a final minute red card to defender Kamil Piątkowski.
KAA Gent: Roef, Castro-Montes, Piątkowski, Okumu, Torunarigha (Fortuna 65), Hong (Odjidja-Ofoe 65), Kums ©, De Sart, Fofana (Samoise 65), Cuypers, Orban (Tissoudali 83)
Subs: Nardi (GK), Hauge, Lagae, Depoitre, Godeau
Goal: Cuypers 56
Booked: De Sart, Piątkowski
West Ham United: Areola, Coufal, Johnson, Aguerd, Ogbonna, Emerson (Cresswell 87), Rice ©, Downes (Paquetá 74), Lanzini (Benrahma 61), Bowen, Ings (Antonio 61)
Subs not used: Fabiański (GK), Anang (GK), Kehrer, Zouma, Souček, Fornals, Cornet, Mubama
Goal: Ings 45+3
Booked: Downes, Ogbonna, Coufal
Referee: Tasos Sidiropoulos (Greece)
