April 20, (THEWILL) – West Ham United cruised past KAA Gent to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League on Thursday night.
The Hammers won the second leg 4-1 at their London Stadium, to progress 5-2 on aggregate. Hugo Cuypers gave Gent the lead in the 26th minute, before Michail Antonio equalised for the Hammers eight minutes before half-time.
Things turned in favour of the English side as they took control of the game in the second half, with goals from Lucas Pacqueta, via the penalty spot after Joseph Okumu handled the ball in the danger area, Declan Rice and Antonio again sealing the victory. Gift Orban could not find a way through and was replaced in the 70th minute.
The win was a deserved one for West Ham, who were the better team for the majority of the match. They created a number of chances, and were clinical when it mattered. With this win, West Ham have now reached the semi-finals of a European competition for the first time since 1976. They will face Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the semi-finals.
They return to domestic football and their next matches are on Sunday, where Bournemouth will face off against West Ham in the English Premier League, and Gent will take on Ostende in the Belgium First Division A.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
