Beta
GNT
- 21′ – Yellow – Hugo Gambor
- 22′ – Yellow – Kervin Fabian Arriaga Villanueva
- 29′ – Yellow – Nathan De Medina
- 57′ – Cont. Kervin Fabian Arriaga Villanueva by Djordje Jovanovic
- 57′ – Cont. Xander Severina by Joao Grimaldo
- 58′ – Cont. Nathan de Medina by Aleksandar Filipovic
- 66′ – Cont. Andre Gudjohnsen by Max Dean
- 66′ – Cont. Zubair Ibrahim by Bebras Nacho
- 76′ – Continued. Ghiath Zahid directed by Nemanja Nikolic
- 80′ – Continued. Sven Combs Written by Atsuki Ito
- 85′ – Cont. Noah Fadiga to Matisse Samoise
- 85′ – Cont. Frank Sordes by Helio Varela
- 89′ – Goal – Mathias Delorg Knepper (1 – 0)
UEFA Conference League – Round 2 – 28/08/24 – 6:00 PM
| time | code | Player | com.homeTime | com.homeIcon | com.homePlayer | a result | awayPlayer | awayIcon | awayTime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
89′ |
Matthias Delorge Knepper |
89′ |
Matthias Delorge Knepper |
1 – 0 |
A goal in each game is enough for AA Gent to advance to the Conference League group stage once again. For a long time, the reward from the first leg against Partizan Belgrade seemed enough, but in the end Delorg scored the decisive goal. It is already the sixth European group stage in a row for AA Gent.
Ka Gent – Partizan Belgrade in brief:
- key moment
When Delorg stamped his ticket to the group stage of the Conference League with great fanfare, Ghent exploded with joy. Ghent coach Wouter Franken entered the pitch as if he had scored himself. It shows how useful and necessary this qualification is for the Buffaloes.
- Man of the match
Matthias Delorg was crowned the match winner after another excellent game. The young Belgian quickly developed into the most reliable and essential pawn in Wouter Vrancken’s system. If the score was 0-0, the honour went to Davy Ruf, who kept Gent afloat in the waning moments of the match.
- distinct
KAA Gent is a regular on the European stage. Today they have made their sixth consecutive appearance in the group stage of a European competition. Since 2019-20, they have participated twice in the Europa League and now four times in the Conference League. Just like last year, they have gone through three qualifying rounds. With five wins and one draw, qualification is more than deserved!
- Still eye-catching
There is still only one team that has been active in all group stages of the Conference League: KAA Gent signed 4 participations in 4 years of the last competition.
Freedom from fear
How great was the joy of Gent when Mathias Delorg finally put an end to the growing uncertainty over KAA Gent’s participation in the group stage of the Conference League.
88 minutes, that’s how long there were doubts. Although it’s getting shorter with each passing minute.
There could have been nothing, as Ghent started with confidence. Surdez’s indifference forced the Buffaloes to take an early lead and Gandelman failed to bring the luck he hoped for with his failed attempt this time.
Despite that better start, Gent can still be happy that they didn’t go into half-time with a deficit. Early in the first half they thanked Roofe who was on time.
The best player of the first half, Gais Zahid, was also unable to erase the score from the scoreboard. In his first attempt he found Torunarigha’s foot, and in his second attempt – in front of an empty goal – he shot the ball over the bar.
Delorge brings certainty
Lessons learned and learned. Gent also started the fourth half against Partizan Belgrade with two dangerous headers. Fadiga’s shot went wide, and Gandelman’s shot hit the crossbar.
As the second half progressed and qualification became more certain, the home team’s football became more fluid and fluid. But Gandelman and Surdez were unable to capitalise on their dominance. Scoring remained extremely difficult for Gent in the match.
Then it was up to Delorg, the new Ghent resident, who rewarded his strong start to the season in Ghent’s blue and white colours with a goal from the edge of the penalty area.
No more doubts! Gent will qualify for the group stage of a European competition for the sixth season in a row.
And that’s well deserved!
Delorge: “There was room and I thought why not…”
Matthias Delorg: “Things are going very quickly and very well, which is nice. Today the main objective was to qualify and we succeeded. Scoring is always special, no matter when or how. There was space and I thought why not. It flew well. I think my father enjoyed it, I had the feeling that we were better, but the goal wasn’t scored, and after that you feel that 1-0 was not a big risk, but there is still a certain sense of tension.”
End: Ka Gent 1-0 Partizan Belgrade
Gent joined Union and Club Brugge to become the third Belgian team to qualify for the group stage of a European competition. And every minute that passed brought that certainty closer. It could have been settled early on, but Gandelman’s header hit the crossbar and Fadiga’s header went wide. Gent learned from a poor first-half moment and combined more fluidly, but they had to continue to focus on the Serbian counter-attacks. In the end it was Delorg who sealed their ticket to the Conference League group stage with a long-range strike in the absolute final. With five wins and a draw in the qualifying rounds, that was ultimately more than the Buffaloes deserved.
Almost 1-1!
Grimaldo and Kalulu almost secure a thrilling extra-time. Grimaldo races down the wing and cuts inside. Roofe tackles well but the ball rebounds back to Kalulu. He taps towards goal for a final effort. Watanabe gets in the way and pushes the ball away.
Mathias Delorg Knepper (KAA Gent) scores. It’s 1 – 0.
Then there’s the goal!
Wouter Francken enters the pitch as if he had scored a goal himself! It is Delorge who provides security for Ghent! With a powerful long-range shot, Partizan goalkeeper Jovanovic had no chance.
This means that Gent will qualify for the Conference League group stage for the sixth time in a row! What a relief!
Another newcomer to the field! Helio Varela also gets his first minutes. Samoas also runs onto the pitch. Fadiga and Surdes have to try the end of the match from the bench.
Fadiga is done!
There’s the goal, I wanted to write. But Fadiga still managed to shoot the ball over the goal from very close range. Delorge’s pass was also great, but it didn’t constitute an assist for the midfielder.
Things can move quickly in football, especially for Torunarigha. From not playing football, to the new captain of Ghent.
Tom Bodwell on Radio 1
She sang for the first time
Japanese Ito comes on for captain Sven Kums. This is the debut of the new signing from Ghent. He came from the Japanese first division and played for Urawa Reds.
Great treatment from Watanabe.
Oof! Watanabe brilliantly blocks every sharp point of Partizan Belgrade’s rapid counter-attack. Jovanovic plays a precise deep pass, Watanabe drops back and throws himself into the shot. A great defensive work of art from the Japanese!
The message to the Buffaloes remains to be sharp. On a corner kick, Djordje Jovanovic can point towards goal. No problem for Davy Roofe.
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