Gent 1-1 West Ham: David Moyes’ side cling on for draw in Belgium

If Europe is to save West Ham’s sorry season, they have it all to do next week, and they will not be underestimating the visit of Gent to the London Stadium after this.

The side sitting fourth in Belgium’s top division were a constant threat at the Ghelamco Arena, energised by their buoyant support. 

‘Fighting spirit since the Middle Ages,’ read a banner in the home end and they showed that attitude in abundance to get back into this game after falling a goal down.

Gent’s ‘De Buffalos’ nickname derives from when Buffalo Bill brought his Wild West circus to the city in the late 1800s and for all the good we saw from Hein Vanhaezebrouch’s team, their defending for West Ham’s opener was clownish in the extreme.  

While Gent’s defenders were high-fiving one another following a clearance, Vladimir Coufal took a quick throw-in. Jarrod Bowen fed Danny Ings, all on his own to tap in his first ever goal in Europe.

West Ham clung on for a 1-1 draw against Belgian side Gent (pictured) on Thursday evening

Danny Ings gave the Hammers the lead in first-half stoppage time with his first European goal

But striker Hugo Cuypers (second left) scored a deserved leveller for Gent in the second half

Yet Gent always looked likely to score and they did through Hugo Cuypers, their top scorer. His second-half strike after a nice passing sequence was justice for their good play, and next week’s second leg at the London Stadium has all the makings of a significant showdown.

West Ham had won all 10 of their Europa Conference League games this season but they were worried about Gent’s front two. Gift Orban, 20, brings the speed while Cuypers, 26 and the top scorer in Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League, brings the strength.

MATCH FACTS: Gent vs West Ham in Belgium

Gent (3-5-2): Roef; Piatkowski, Okumu, Torunarigha (Nurio Fortuna 65); Castro-Montes, Kums, De Sart, Hong (Odjidja-Ofoe 64), Fofana (Samoise 65); Cuypers, Orban (Tissoudali 83).

Subs not used: Nardi; Hauge, Lagae, Depoitre, Godeau.

Goals: Cuypers 56.

Yellow cards: De Sart 47, Piatkowski 73.

Manager: Hein Vanhaezebrouck.

West Ham (3-4-2-1): Areola; Johnson, Ogbonna, Aguerd; Coufal, Rice, Downes (Paqueta 74), Emerson (Cresswell 88); Bowen, Lanzini (Benrahma 61); Ings (Antonio 60).

Subs not used: Fabianski, Anang; Kehrer, Zouma, Soucek, Fornals, Cornet, Mubama.

Goals: Ings 45+3.

Yellow cards: Downes 23, Ogbonna 34, Coufal 87.

Manager: David Moyes.

Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos.

They were a handful and after 12 minutes, Ben Johnson hesitated in dealing with a ball over the top, booting it out for a Gent corner. From that, Jordan Torunarigha headed narrowly wide.

David Moyes is sick of his defenders giving away gifts, especially after that error-strewn 5-1 defeat by Newcastle. It was during that game when Thilo Kehrer’s needless corner led to Callum Wilson’s early goal. Kehrer has not been seen since, with Moyes not tolerating such mistakes.

Twice Flynn Downes fairly won the ball off Hyunseok Hong, and twice the Greek referee Anastasios Sidiropoulos wrongly called them fouls. The second time, Downes was booked, leaving him to wait a tightrope for the remaining 70 minutes.

Gent, or ‘La Gantoise’ as they were formerly known, were West Ham’s first opponents in 1964-65 when the English side went on to win the European Cup Winners’ Cup. They won the away leg 1-0 back then, Ronnie Boyce scoring the winner.

Yet as we approached half-time, West Ham had not yet managed a shot on or off target. Moyes pulled Ings to the side to have a word as Gent looked the likelier to score.

And then, Gent goalkeeper Davy Roef gifted the visitors a goal. He dropped Jarrod Bowen’s corner with the ball bouncing off Nayef Aguerd and into the net.

West Ham celebrated, thinking they had taken the lead without even meaning to, yet VAR Angelos Evangelou disallowed the goal after noticing the ball brushed Aguerd’s arm.

Amid six minutes of first-half stoppage time, Vladimir Coufal took a quick throw-in while Gent’s defenders were sleeping. He found Jarrod Bowen, who squared to Ings for a tap-in.

It was an embarrassing way for Gent to concede after looking watertight, and Moyes may want to thank the Belgian ball-boy whose fast feeding to Coufal made this possible.

VAR Evangelou checked it as Gent hoped the offside lines would save them. But the goal was good and West Ham led 1-0 thanks to their only attempt of the half. The away fans cramped in the corner of the 20,000-capacity Ghelamco Arena were singing and dancing.

Yet in the 56th minute, it was Gent’s fans who were giddy. Alessio Castro-Montes played a one-two with Orban around Declan Rice before feeding Cuypers. He skipped inside Johnson and found the bottom right corner, beating Alphonse Areola to make it 1-1.

Gent chased a winner but it was Bowen who had the best chance to score next. Lucas Paqueta’s reverse pass in behind the defence left West Ham’s striker with only Roef to beat. Yet Bowen sent his shot wide, much to Moyes’ frustration.

In the 82nd minute, Orban sent the ball crashing into the crossbar from an acrobatic overhead kick. In the 86th, Tarik Tissoudali fired wide when he should have bagged the winner after Matisse Samoise set him up.

In stoppage time, there was chaos and confusion when Paqueta raced through on goal but then dropped down after a sliding tackle from Kamil Piatkowski, who was shown a red card. Gent were incensed. 

Replays showed he won the ball, and VAR righted the referee’s wrong. The red was rescinded and Piatkowski reacted by celebrating in front of the home supporters as this first leg finished all square.

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