West Ham, Fiorentina, Basel have all qualified along with AZ Alkmaar for the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League.
West Ham United 4-1 Gent
Gent kept West Ham on a draw in Belgium last week and brutally opened the score in the Olympic Stadium. Hugo Cuypers scored on a pass from Matisse Samoise and gave the visitors hope for a stunt. Mikhail Antonio signed for the equalizer before the break, then it suddenly went fast in the English capital.
West Ham walked away from Gent after the break in eight minutes. Lucas Paquetá, Declan Rice and once again Antonio sealed the fate of Gent, which could no longer argue (4-1). Jarrod Bowen also thought he would get on the scoreboard, but the VAR put a line through his goal due to hands.
Nice 1-2 FC Basel
Just like last week in Switzerland, OGC Nice and FC Basel balanced each other on Thursday. After ninety minutes of play, the score was 1-1 thanks to goals from Gaëtan Laborde and Jean-Kevin Augustin. Basel struck hard in extra time. The substituted Wouter Burger could cheer from the bench, because Kasim Nuhu made the decision in the 98th minute (1-2). Pablo Rosario was a substitute at Nice.
Fiorentina 2-3 Lech Poznan
Lech Poznan lost 1-4 at home against Fiorentina last week and the return in Stadio Artemio Franchi therefore seemed a formality for La Viola, the number nine in the Serie A. But in Florence, Van den Brom’s team had a special revival.
After nine minutes, the Poles took the lead through the Portuguese Afonso Sousa, but the opening goal did not yet get on Fiorentina’s nerves. When Fiorentina, without the injured Sofyan Amrabat, conceded a penalty kick after an hour, it became exciting again: Kristoffer Velde hit from eleven meters.
Not long after, Van den Brom again had reason to cheer and Lech Poznan’s comeback was complete. Arthur Sobiech tapped in the 0-3 from close range. Despite the resurrection, the fairy tale ended on a minor note for the Poles. Fiorentina, the most accurate team in the Conference League this season, managed to avoid extra time through Riccardo Sottil. Gaetano Castrovilli determined the final score in injury time at 2-3. Fiorentina can prepare for a semi-final against OGC Nice or FC Basel.
