Danny Ings scores first European goal as West Ham’s winning run ended by Gent

sport
Danny Ings Scores First European Goal As West Ham’s Winning Run Ended By Gent
Ings tucked away Jarrod Bowen’s cross on the stroke of half-time – thanks in no small part to a Gent ball boy – to give them the lead in the first leg of the Europa Conference League quarter-final.
Share this article

By Andy Sims, PA, Gent

Danny Ings scored the first European goal of his career but West Ham’s winning streak on the continent this season was ended by a 1-1 draw away at Belgian side Gent.

Ings tucked away Jarrod Bowen’s cross on the stroke of half-time – thanks in no small part to a Gent ball boy – to give them the lead in the first leg of the Europa Conference League quarter-final.

Advertisement

But West Ham’s defending let them down after the break as they allowed Gent forward Hugo Cuypers to equalise, leaving the tie finely poised heading into next week’s second leg at the London Stadium.

Belgium Soccer Europa Conference League
West Ham players celebrate after Danny Ings’ opening goal (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)

The Hammers may be struggling in the Premier League, but their European exploits – they came into this game with a perfect 10 out of 10 win record – have raised genuine hopes that a miserable season could yet turn into a memorable one with a first trophy in 43 years.

Advertisement

However, it was a ragged first half from the visitors, with Ben Johnson making a timely block to prevent Cuypers from firing home while both Kamil Piatkowski and Joseph Okumu headed over from corners.

West Ham thought they had taken the lead, against the run of play, when Gent goalkeeper Davy Roef dropped Bowen’s corner under pressure from Nayef Aguerd, but a VAR check ruled it out for handball by the Morocco defender.

However, they did edge in front on the stroke of half-time when Vladimir Coufal caught Gent napping with a quickly-taken throw.

Advertisement
Belgium Soccer Europa Conference League
Ings turned home Jarrod Bowen’s cross to give West Ham the lead. Photo: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP. 

Boss David Moyes has fallen foul of ball boys in Europe before; he was sent off for kicking a ball at one in their semi-final defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt last season.

But he was grateful to the Gent youngster who lobbed the ball straight to Coufal so the right-back could immediately find Bowen in the box.

Bowen squared the ball across goal and Ings, on his first European start since October 2015 for Liverpool, tapped in at the far post.

Advertisement

The goal was subject to another VAR check, this time for offside, but the decision went the way of the Hammers to delight the 1,000 visiting fans squashed into the corner at the opposite end.

However, Gent dragged themselves level in the 57th minute when West Ham failed to track their runners.

Belgium Soccer Europa Conference League
Hugo Cuypers earned Gent a 1-1 draw with a second-half finish. Photo: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP. 

Advertisement

Angelo Ogbonna was nutmegged and Cuypers sidestepped Johnson too easily before finishing past Hammers keeper Alphonse Areola.

Sport
Julen Lopetegui says Wolves ‘have not done anythin...
Read More

Bowen could have put West Ham back in front after he was sent through by Lucas Paqueta only for his attempted chip over Roef to roll wide, while Gent’s Nigerian striker Gift Orban hit the crossbar with an overhead kick.

There was confusion in stoppage time when home defender Piatkowski was sent off, and then reinstated after a review, for bringing down Paqueta.

Moyes was angry that Gent were given back the ball as his side chased a winner, but moments later the final whistle blew and it is all to play for in seven days’ time.

Read More

Message submitting... Thank you for waiting.

Want us to email you top stories each lunch time?

Download our Apps
© BreakingNews.ie 2024, developed by Square1 and powered by PublisherPlus.com