Goore fires Gent to first-leg victory over Goteborg in conference league

KAA Gent will take a narrow advantage into next week’s second leg after defeating IFK Goteborg 1-0 in the first leg of their Conference League third qualifying round tie on Thursday.

A first-half strike from Hyllarion Goore proved enough to separate the sides in Sweden, handing the Belgian club a valuable away win and inflicting the first defeat of Joachim Bjorklund’s reign as IFK Goteborg manager.

The Swedish side had shown resilience in the previous qualifying round by overturning a first-leg deficit against Levadia, while Bjorklund’s arrival had also sparked an upturn in domestic form. However, they faced a much sterner challenge against an organised and confident KAA Gent outfit.

The visitors controlled much of the opening half and created several clear opportunities before eventually breaking the deadlock.

Tibe De Vlieger and Josue Vergara both forced impressive saves from goalkeeper Viktor Andersson, who kept IFK Goteborg in the contest with a string of important stops.

Gent’s pressure finally paid off on the stroke of half-time.

A clever pass from Laszlo Benes released Hyllarion Goore down the left flank, and the winger was given far too much room to drive towards goal. Cutting inside, Goore fired a shot that took a significant deflection, leaving Andersson with no chance as the ball found the back of the net.

The hosts responded positively after the interval and looked more threatening in attack.

Adam Bergmark-Wiberg and Sam Larsson both came close to finding an equaliser, but KAA Gent quickly regained control of the match and looked the more likely side to score again.

Tiago Araujo and Christian Burgess each went close to doubling the visitors’ advantage, but IFK Goteborg remained within touching distance heading into the closing stages.

The home side almost snatched a dramatic late equaliser in stoppage time as Bergmark-Wiberg came within inches on two separate occasions. One goal-bound effort was brilliantly blocked, while another drifted narrowly over the crossbar.

The result leaves KAA Gent in a strong position ahead of next week’s return leg in Belgium, where they will look to protect their slender lead and maintain their impressive defensive record in this season’s Conference League qualifiers.