Gent and Anderlecht Both Reach Next Round, But in Very Different Fashion

Gent and Anderlecht Both Reach Next Round, But in Very Different Fashion

Two Belgian clubs, two very different European nights. KAA Gent needed a penalty shootout to see off Ukraine's LNZ Cherkasy, while RSC Anderlecht shook off an early scare to run riot against Hammarby, winning 3-1 on the night to seal their progress in the Europa League.

Gent Grind Out a Shootout Win

Gent's route through to the next round of the Conference League came the hard way. 120 minutes against LNZ Cherkasy produced nothing but chances — the Buffalos racked up 106 attacks and 14 corners at the Planet Group Arena but simply couldn't find a way past a stubborn Ukrainian defense, in normal time or extra time.

Manager Rik De Mil shuffled his pack looking for answers, sending on Tibe De Vlieger for László Bénes at the break and later throwing on Momodou Sonko and Abdelkahar Kadri with the game deep into extra time. Nerves were fraying by the closing stages — goalkeeper Davy Roef picked up a yellow card for dissent right before the final whistle blew.

Penalties told a different story. Gent were ice-cool from the spot, with De Vlieger, Kadri, Leonardo Lopes and Sonko all converting cleanly. LNZ Cherkasy got goals from Talles Brener and Danylo Kravchuk, but misses from Yegor Tverdokhlib and Denys Kuzyk sealed their fate. Sonko's decisive penalty sent the home crowd into celebration.

Anderlecht Turn It Around at Lotto Park

Anderlecht's night started badly — Paulos Abraham put Hammarby ahead inside three minutes, silencing Lotto Park early. But Vítor Bruno's side, coming off a 1-1 draw in the first leg, quickly took control, finishing the match with 20 shots to Hammarby's six and 10 corners as they laid siege to the Swedish goal.

Danylo Sikan pulled Anderlecht level early in the second half, and from there the game belonged to the hosts. Substitute Mihajlo Cvetkovic put them ahead, and Tristan Degreef added a third in the 89th minute to make the aggregate scoreline — 4-2 — look comfortable.

Hammarby, under Henrik Rydström, never really got going after the opener, managing just two shots on target and picking up three yellow cards as they tried to weather Anderlecht's pressing. Afterward, Anderlecht's Ali Maamar credited the team's response to falling behind, saying the squad is starting to buy into their new coach's demands.

The Bigger Picture

Anderlecht's ruthlessness in front of goal was the headline, though boss Vitor Bruno was quick to note that his talented young squad's "work ethic can still improve significantly." Gent, by contrast, had to grind out a nervy shootout win despite dominating the run of play. Different routes, same result — both Belgian sides live to fight another round in Europe.