KAA GentVíkingurVIKGNT
UEFA Europa Conference League – Matchday 1 – 25/07/24 – 20:01
timeiconplayerhomeTimehomeIconhomePlayerscoreawayPlayerawayIconawayTime
14′
Jorgina Nielsen
0 – 1
Jorgina Nielsen
14′
26′
Hyun-seok Hong
26′
Hyun-seok Hong
1 – 1
60′
Sven Kums
60′
Sven Kums
2 – 1
69′
Julien De Sart
69′
Julien De Sart
3 – 1
89′
Hyun-seok Hong
89′
Hyun-seok Hong
4 – 1
Mission accomplished. It initially took more effort than expected, but Gent did deal with Vikingur at home. Hong erased the visitors’ early opening goal before half-time, in the second half Kums, De Sart and again Hong put things right. Next week Gent travels to the Faroe Islands with a reassuring lead.
Ghent – Vikingur in a nutshell
After Hong’s equalizer, it was really just a matter of time before Gent took the lead. As soon as the Buffaloes found the right rhythm, Vikingur were no match.
Gent needed some time to get the engine running. The only one who was awake from the start was Noah Fadiga. He almost crowned his excellent match with a goal, but the post had other plans.
It is only logical that Gent sidelines this very limited team from the Faroe Islands. Vikingur captain Gregersen was one of the better players for the visitors despite his 42 years.
Tough Vikingur gives Ghent a scare
Vikingur from the Faroe Islands should not have caused any problems for Gent, but coach Vrancken was still on his guard during his debut. He brought one summer signing between the lines with Gudjohnsen in the forward line.
The match started on an ominous note. Svensson tapped the ball into an empty goal, but the whistle had already blown for a foul on Roef and Gudjohnsen. After fifteen minutes, the unthinkable happened. A corner kick stuck and Nielsen actually poked in the 0-1.
Gent had already created a few chances, but they played too slowly to surprise the low block of Vikingur. It was Fadiga who broke the gates open with an action, Hong was in the right place to equalize. In what remained of the first half, Yokota, Watanabe and Gudjohnsen still sniffed at the 2-1.
Shortly after the break, Surdez unleashed a venomous shot, but goalkeeper Reynatrød refused to budge. A moment later, he was helped by his goal frame when Fadiga unleashed a controlled volley. In the end, Reynatrød had to admit defeat. Kums pulled the trigger.
The 2-1 had only just been scored when the 3-1 was already on its way. De Sart was allowed to convert a feather-light penalty. It may have been a parting gift, because shortly afterwards there was a meaningful hug with Kums, who passed on his captain’s armband when he was substituted. De Sart is aiming for a transfer to Qatar.
The end of the match was not really exciting anymore. A tired Vikingur mainly made itself noticed with fouls and one blunder. The otherwise nicely playing Reynatrød let a cross slip, after which Hong made it 4-1. The return match on the Faroe Islands should be a piece of cake for Gent.
Kums: “All in all a good result”
Sven Kums was not dissatisfied afterwards. “We would have preferred to keep a clean sheet, but I think we responded well and had some chances. Especially in the second half we had enough to score more than four times. All in all it’s a good result.”
Still, things were a bit difficult for Gent at first. “They dropped back a long way. It took some searching to find the spaces. In the second half, we found and used them better. You can see that in the result.”
Kums himself scored the important 2-1. “I often look for that one-two with Hong, because he knows exactly how to pass the ball,” smiled the Ghent captain.
“This can’t go wrong anymore, but you never know. We have to assume that we will win the match there too,” Kums looked ahead.
Was this Julien De Sart’s last trick at Gent? “That could be possible. There are of course all sorts of things going on. If he leaves, that would be a serious blow. He proved last year why he is our best player.”
End!
An early goal from Nielsen gave Gent a fright, but in the end the Buffaloes easily put the sturdy Vikingur aside. Hong, Kums, De Sart and a blunder by the visiting goalkeeper ensured that the return match in the Faroe Islands becomes a formality.
Samoise flicks the ball into the net with great flourish, but the whistle has already blown for a foul by Ghent.
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Reynatrød certainly didn’t play badly, but this 4-1 will haunt him for a while. He lets a deflected cross slip through his hands and lets Hong score. Painful!
Hong Hyun-seok (KAA Gent) scores. The score is 4 – 1.
There is not much interest in it anymore. We are counting down.
With the courage of desperation Turi chases a nearly lost ball. He almost perseveres.
A cautious shot from Fernandez-Pardo does not cause Reynatrød any problems. The real drive has somewhat disappeared from the Buffaloes.
Once again Hong
There are a lot of people in front of Hong. No wonder the trajectory of his shot takes the ball wide of the goal.
