West Ham get better of Gent to book European semi-final spot

Coming into the second leg of this last-eight UEFA Conference League tie level, the exit lights had flashed briefly when Hugo Cuypers put Gent ahead as the half-hour mark approached.

But Michail Antonio levelled just before the break and, emerging for the second half, David Moyes’ men simply battered the Belgians during a devastating eight-minute, three-goal spell as Lucas Paquetá’s penalty put them in front before destructive Declan Rice bagged a sensational solo goal described by Moyes as a real Roy of the Rovers-type goal.

Antonio then netted his second of the night to take his tally to 11 for the season as the Hammers rounded off a highly-entertaining East End evening by booking a semi-final date next month with Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.

These teams had finished all square in last Thursday’s first leg at the Ghelamco Arena and their respective domestic engagements at the weekend.

Following on from the 1-1 deadlock in Gent, the Hammers had then battled back from a two-goal deficit against Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday, to rescue the determined, defiant draw that leaves them four points clear of the drop zone.

Now returning to the European stage – where his unbeaten side had already won 10 and drawn one of their UEFA Conference League ties to date – Moyes made just three changes from the side that had put a bullet hole in the Gunners title ambitions with that thrilling fightback.

Going strong with his no-nonsense starting line-up, the Scot had recalled regular Euro keeper Alphonse Areola, Nayef Aguerd and Emerson Palmieri in place of substitutes Łukasz Fabiański, Thilo Kehrer and Aaron Cresswell.

With April showers having cascaded down from the Stratford skies in the run-up to kick-off, the Hammers – roared on by an expectant East End crowd – zipped the ball across the greasy grass top with a clear game plan to exploit Jarrod Bowen’s power and pace down the right flank.

But West Ham were almost caught out by a right-wing raid inside their own half, when skipper Sven Kums whipped in a curling eighth-minute cross towards the edge of the six-yard box, where neither last week’s scorer Cuypers nor Gift Orban could apply the clinical touch.

Gent had been pegged back to 1-1 at Mechelen on Sunday and – remaining in fourth spot in the Belgian Pro League – they arrived in London unbeaten in their last nine matches in all competitions, a relentless run stretching back to late February.

Coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck made just a couple of switches, recalling Orban, who had struck the woodwork with a late effort seven days earlier plus keeper Davy Roef for the Belgians, who were West Ham’s first-ever opponents in competitive European football in 1965.

Back then – known under their pre-Flemish, French-translation as ARA La Gantoise – they had arrived at the Boleyn Ground chasing a one-goal, first-round, first-leg deficit only to go home empty-handed after drawing 1-1 at Upton Park.

Having triumphed 2-1 on aggregate, Ron Greenwood’s gang famously went on to lift the trophy and, nearly six decades on, with the current-day Hammers looking to repeat history and stay on course to reach the club’s third major European final, Kurt Zouma nodded Vladimír Coufal’s flighted free-kick over Roef’s crossbar 

It had certainly been a compelling and competitive start and, after Orban was booked for a juddering aerial challenge on Aguerd, play was then held up while Coufal and Alessio Castro-Montes received treatment for an unfortunate clash of heads.

Midway through the half, the accelerating Antonio bumped and baulked a path towards the edge of the Gent area, where he eventually found too many defenders blocking his path to goal.

While the Hammers were looking capable of netting against the white-shirted Belgians, they were still struggling to find any real cohesion with their final ball and, when Paquetá carelessly yielded possession to Hyunseok Hong on 25 minutes, they paid a heavy price for the Brazilian’s unforced error.

The South Korean quickly played the ball forward to Orban, whose deep cross found Matisse Samoise on the right hand side of the West Ham area and, although the red-faced Belgian U21 midfielder could only shank his shot across the face of goal, his embarrassment soon turned to ecstasy as Cuyper’s bundled the ball past Aguerd on the goal line.

A goal behind and now chasing, the Hammers needed to quickly find a way back into this contest and after Emerson’s angled screamer was tipped aside by Roef for the first corner of the night, the equaliser duly arrived, eight minutes before the break.

Castro-Montes’ sliding handball out on the right-wing presented Bowen with the opportunity to whip the consequent free-kick towards the near post, where Antonio bulldozed his way in front of Julien De Sart to send a glancing header ripping into the Gent net.

That took the Jamaican international into double figures for the season and his equaliser certainly turned up the decibels inside London Stadium by another notch or two.

Indeed, with renewed belief West Ham might even have departed at the break in front.

First, Rice’s powerful low 18-yarder lost its sting as it deflected into the Roef’s grasp, while the Belgians also escaped vociferous appeals for handball after Saïd Benrahma’s effort struck the outstretched arm of Samoise.

Undoubtedly feeling aggrieved by that late decision, the Hammers emerged for the restart with Thames Ironworks-like fire in their bellies as they made a scorching start to the second period.

Almost immediately, Bowen’s low cross arrived at the feet of the sliding Tomáš Souček, who could only scoop the ball onto the right-hand angle to agonising gasps from everyone in claret and blue.

Bowen then forced Roef to divert his low shot away from the base of his near post and, with the temperature still rising, on 55 minutes Antonio sent a low 15-yarder onto the foot of the left upright.

But a Video Assistant Referee Review spotted that the ball had struck Joseph Okumu’s arm on its way through to the Hammers striker and, after visiting his pitch-side monitor, Irsaeli official Orel Grinfeeld pointed the spot, leaving the stuttering Paquetá to duly curl the resultant penalty over Roef’s left glove and under the right-hand angle.

Stratford was ablaze with joy and still that West Ham fire raged.

On 58 minutes, Rice robbed Kamil Piatowski in his own centre circle and when the luckless Gent defender tried to recover the situation he could only send the ball ricocheting back into the path of the Hammers skipper.

Galloping clear from halfway, the rampant Rice simply left Okumu and Castro-Montes chasing a claret and blue shadow across the Stratford turf and with the whites of Roef’s eyes now firmly in his sights, the 41-times capped England international drilled a low 10-yarder across the face of the helplessly-exposed Gent goalie before celebrating an individual strike that would grace any European stage.

Still West Ham were not finished.

Indeed, on 63 minutes, Antonio completed that blistering eight-minute, three-goal burst to confirm the Hammers semi-final date with AZ Alkmaar.

Collecting on halfway, Paquetá sprayed the ball out to the left flank, where Benrahma allowed Antonio to collect the Brazilian’s pinpoint pass before Gent themselves then allowed him to advance virtually unchecked into their area, where he sent a flaming, rising 18-yarder through the Roef’s fingertips.

The Hammers side now home and hosed, Moyes inevitably made a handful of substitutions as his side coasted to the final whistle and back-to-back European semi-finals starting with the first leg against the Dutch at London Stadium on Thursday, May 11 (8pm).

West Ham United: Areola, Coufal, Emerson, Zouma (Kehrer 70), Aguerd, Rice (Downes 70), Souček, Paquetá, Benrahma (Fornals 78) Bowen (Cornet 78), Antonio (Ings 70). Unused subs: Fabiański, Anang, Johnson, Cresswell, Lanzini, Potts, Mubama.

KAA Gent: Roef, Okumu, Piatkowski, Fortuna, De Sart (Depoitre 71), Kums, Samoise, Castro-Montes (Fofana 84), Hong (Tissoudali 71), Orban (Odjidja-Ofoe 71), Cuypers (Godeau 84). Unused subs: Nardi, Hauge, Torunarigha, Van Daele.

Booked: Orban (18).

Referee: Orel Grinfeeld (Israel).