the Champions League, as they defeated a disappointing
Valencia 1-0 at Ghelamco Arena.
The Belgian side kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the
knockout stages with a well-deserved victory over their
Group H rivals.
Captain Kums was the hero for the hosts, converting a 49th-
minute penalty that was awarded after Valencia defender
Antonio Barragan had blocked a cross with his arm.
The result means Valencia missed out on the opportunity
to join Zenit, who defeated Lyon 2-0, in going through to the
knockout stages.
Gent merited their maiden triumph, and the final margin of
victory would have been even greater had they not been so
wasteful in front of goal.
They did everything but score in an opening half they
completely dominated.
Danijel Milicevic saw a looping header from Kenneth Saief's
cross hit the right-hand post, strike the back of Valencia
goalkeeper Jaume Domenech and then roll along the
goal line.
If the hosts were unfortunate on that occasion, they
deserved little sympathy when Brecht Dejaegere somehow
failed to hit the target after 26 minutes.
Left unmarked, the Gent player had only Domenech to beat
from six yards out. However, his downward header ended
up bouncing up over the crossbar.
Sloppy in possession and shaky at the back, Valencia failed
to even have a shot at goal in the first 45 minutes.
They had to improve as an attacking force once Kums had
broken the deadlock from the spot, punishing Barragan for
blocking Saief's cross with an outstretched hand.
Yet the surge for an equaliser never really materialised.
Coach Nuno summoned Joao Cancelo and Andre Gomes
from the bench, yet the substitutes failed to lift the lethargic
visitors.
Paco Alcacer's low shot from the left forced Matz Sels into a
rare save on what was an otherwise easy night for the Gent
goalkeeper.
Despite the defeat, a fourth in their last five away games in
all competitions, Valencia still sit second in the table on six
points.
They travel next to Zenit, while Gent make the short trip to
France to face a Lyon side whose qualification hopes are
hanging by a thread.
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