Conference League: Gift Orban’s Gent Draw 1-1 With West Ham

Nigerian fast-growing football star, Gift Orban helped his Belgian team, Gent to grab a 1-1 draw at home against Premier League club West Ham United on Thursday, April 13.

Gift Orban started the first leg of the Conference League quarter-finals game at the Ghelamco Arena as he partnered with Hugo Cuypers upfront.

Even though he didn’t score a goal nor provide an assist throughout his spell in the game, Gift Orban was the best Gent player on the pitch with a 3.8 rating.

Gent got 55 percent of the ball possession and had 20 shots, four of which was on target. Unfortunately, it was West Ham United that scored the opening goal in the 45+3 minutes courtesy of Danny Ings.

The host got back into the game in the first 11 minutes of the first half thanks to Cuypers’ 56th-minute strike.

Gift Orban disturbed West Ham United’s defense until he was substituted in the 83rd minute when the coach decided to defend the 1-1 draw. Fortunately, the tactics worked as Gent ended the game with a point.

Orban is expected to help Gent cause an upset in the second leg at London Stadium on Thursday, April 20. Any team that wins the game will scale through to the semi-finals of the competition.

Recall that Gift Orban’s hat-trick in the second leg of the Europa Conference League round of 16 helped Gent to knock out Basaksehir and qualified the Belgian side for the quarter-finals.

The youngster who left Norwegian Second Division side Stabaek for Gent during the January transfer window for just 3.5 million euros has scored nine goals in just eight Belgian League matches and five goals in five Europa Conference League games.