April 13, (THEWILL) – West Ham United’s hopes of securing a second consecutive UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final spot remain high, despite their 100 per cent winning run being brought to an end by Gent.
The Hammers were en route to their 11th consecutive victory when Danny Ings put them ahead. However, the hosts were caught out by a quick throw-in, which allowed Gent to equalise through Hugo Cuypers’ touch and finish.
David Moyes’ team faced a barrage of attacks from Gent, who were searching for a winner to take into the return leg. Nigeria’s Gift Orban, who scored a hat-trick in 205 seconds in the previous round, almost gave Gent the lead with a spectacular acrobatic attempt that hit the bar in the 82nd minute.
Gent’s Kamil Piatkowski was shown a red card for a foul on West Ham substitute, Lucas Paqueta, in stoppage time, but the decision was reversed after a pitchside review.
Despite dropping points, the Hammers remain in a strong position to advance to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League. They will now prepare to face Arsenal in the English Premier League on Sunday, while Gent will play Mechelen in Belgium’s top division.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
