Gent welcomed travelling Lyon in Group H of the Champions League on Wednesday looking to claim a victory from their group-stage debut.
The hosts proved to be the better side in the first half, but were twice unlucky when Laurent Depoitre hit the bar and also had a goal ruled out for offside.
The Belgian side were reduced to 10 men when Brecht Dejaegere saw red, leaving Christophe Jallet to nod Lyon in front in the second period.
The home side did not give up, however, as they replied through Danijel Milicevic, before Matz Sels produced a standout penalty save to deny Alexandre Lacazette late on and earn his side a point.
Relive all of the action from the game with our minute-by-minute coverage below.
Good evening everyone and thank you for joining us for our live coverage of Gent's clash with Lyon in Group H of the Champions League.
Tonight's hosts are making their debut in the group stages of this tournament, after claiming the Belgian championship for the first time in their 115-year history earlier in May.
As for Lyon, they make their return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign when they reached the round of 16.
The French club failed to make the cut last season after being beaten by FC Astra Giurgiu on away goals drawing their qualification fixture. That overall defeat ended what was a 12-year run in the European showpiece.
The last time Lyon were in Belgium, they were able to record a 3-1 win Anderlecht in the 2009-10 Champions League play-offs. As far as the club's history stretches, Lyon have recorded two wins and three losses when competing in Belgium.
Hubert Fournier's men have had a mixed start to life in Ligue 1 this season having finished second to Paris Saint-Germain last time out. They have won both of their away domestic victories, with travelling wins coming against Guingamp and Caen.
Lyon had to settle for a draw against Lille over the weekend, but they will be buoyed given that star frontman Alexandre Lacazette made his comeback from injury to play a full 90 minutes for his side. That news came as a confidence booster after the long-term injury to standout playmaker Nabil Fekir.
Hein Vanhaezebrouck and his charges will be quietly confident going into this home clash following some impressive displays in the early part of the new Belgian season. The club currently stand undefeated in eight games, and have only lost one fixture in their last 16 across all competitions.
Time for some team news now...
GENT STARTING XI: Sels; Mitrovic, Nielsen, Kums, Neto, Dejaegere, Asare, Foket, Milicevic, Depoitre, Simo
GENT SUBSTITUTES: Vandenbussche, Vitas, Rafinha, Coulibaly, Matton, Van der Bruggen, Raman
LYON STARTING XI: Lopes; Rafael, Yanga-Mbiwa, Umtiti, Morel, Gonalons, Ferri, Tolisso, Valbuena, Lacazette, Beauvue
LYON SUBSTITUTES: Gorgelin, Bisevac, Jallet, Mvuemba, Malbranque, Kalulu, Cornet
So we have good news for Lyon fans following confirmation that main strike threat Lacazette starts up top alongside Claudio Beauvue. Former Manchester United full-back Rafael has earned a place at right-back, while Corentin Tolisso and Mathieu Valbuena will seek to pull the creative strings from advanced midfield positions.
Laurent Depoitre appears to be the main threat for the hosts and has already scored four of Gent's seven league goals this season. Danijel Milicevic is another key man that Lyon will have to be aware of, as is forward playmaker Moses Simon. There is also a surprise inclusion of Uros Vitas as he appears to have recovered from a hamstring issue.
Gent's inclusion of Stefan Mitrovic means that the home side may feature with three central defenders in a system that has often proven effective against Lyon in Ligue 1. The hosts will be looking to Lasse Nielsen for some help on the pitch tonight as he is the only player in the team with any Champions League experience.
Here's an image from the ground with Lyon going through their warmups ahead of the game:
And @OL are back in group stage for first time since 2011-2012 @KAAGent @ChampionsLeague #ucl pic.twitter.com/S7kAdT6ylZ
— David Crossan (@UEFAcomDavidC) September 16, 2015
The other Group H action tonight sees Zenit Saint Petersburg taking on Valencia. Lyon will view Gent as a good opportunity to pick up some vital points in a group that does offer some sturdy challenges elsewhere for the French outfit.
Vanhaezebrouck has been speaking to UEFA ahead of this clash. Here's what he has had to say: "Don't underestimate the influence of the fans – our 12th man. We won't change our usual style too much; we will play our way. We hardly lost in 2015 and we haven't lost in the league this season, and that gives us strength and confidence."
As for Fournier, he has been vocal about his side's excitement ahead of returning to Champions League action: "We have been talking about the Champions League for a long time – now it finally starts. Our goal is to be ambitious and to put in a good performance. And we can. In our last five games in France we have kept four clean sheets but we know that in attack we must improve."
One place for improvement will be right up top, with Lacazette still seeking to break his scoring duck this season. He might fancy his chances tonight, but will have to work hard to break down an impressive Gent defence.
For those who are interested, here is where tonight's fixture is taking place:
#ucl A modern stadium and @ChampionsLeague history. A first game in competition for @KAAGent as @OL visit pic.twitter.com/u2dHf3o5Bs
— David Crossan (@UEFAcomDavidC) September 16, 2015
Lyon's goalscoring problems had been partially kept at bay by Fekir, but his injury has put major pressure on Beauvue. He has stepped up to the challenge and will need to be helped out by the returning Lacazette tonight.
All of 15 players in the combined starting XIs from tonight's teams are making their debut in the Champions League. Hopefully that shall inspire an exciting contest with everyone trying to prove themselves on the biggest of European stages.
Given their relative absence from European football, Gent do not have many continental goals in the team tonight. The highest European score stands as Moses Simon, who has three goals in the Europa League to his name.
Gent will be frustrated by the injury to Erik Johansson. He would have been perfect for a night like this. The defender is expected to be out for around six weeks after picking up some knee ligament trouble while training with Sweden.
We are now just ten minutes away from kickoff and it is time for me to make a prediction. Lyon are crying out for goals from Lacazette and I fancy him to come good away from home. Gent will certainly make this tough for the visitors, but I think Fournier's side might just steal this encounter with a 2-1 win.
To get something from this encounter Gent will have to overcome a rather lacklustre history against French teams. Overall Gent have faced French sides six times, losing all three games in France while drawing the three of their home contests.
The players are now coming out of the tunnel as we await the start of this tie. Gent is rocking already and the ground is thumping with noise. Lyon are to feature in white, while Genk feature in a very, very ghastly green kit. What a night for Stefan Mitrovic to make his full debut for the hosts!
Kums has won the coin toss and has opted to change ends, with Gent now attacking towards their ecstatic home end.
KICKOFF! Lyon move the ball down into the Gent half, but there is little give from the home side in defence. They clear their lines with relative ease, but the visitors soon claw back possession.
SAVE! Fantastic move from Gent as Simon flies down the left before cutting it into the path of Dejaegere inside the box, but his effort is saved down low by Lopes who makes a smart save with his feet.
Lyon seek to bring some calm to a fiery opening period by keeping the ball in the middle. The visitors move the ball out to the left, leaving Gent to shuffle across and close out the danger.
CLOSE! Lacazette is almost in when Gent fumble sloppily at the back. Thankfully Sels has his headed screwed on and comes out to steal the ball at the vital moment.
Simon thinks he has the beating of Rafael tonight and encourages his teammates to find him on the overlap. The Brazilian is equal to it, though, and Lyon win the ball back.
Kums shows great footwork down on the right channel for Gent, only for the playmaker to eventually come unstuck when he is crowded out. The hosts will have to be careful that they do not push too many forward.
OFF THE BAR! Wow... Gent should have the lead after Depoitre breaks through on goal from a through-ball. The frontman just has the keeper to beat, but Lopes somehow gets a hand on his driven effort to deflect it up onto the crossbar.
YELLOW CARD! Lyon appear a tad frustrated and Ferri should not be on the pitch after that. He goes in two-footed on Dejaegere and Lyon should be down to ten men here.
The Buffalos have started brilliantly here and I am not sure that Lyon can keep with their pace and high pressing. Simon is the major threat at the moment and is causing some real problems down the left channel.
Lyon show their class on the edge of the box and it comes through Lacazette. The frontman displays brilliant footwork to open up some space despite the crowd of defenders, only for his shot to fly wide of the target without troubling the keeper.
Gent continue to throw the proverbial kitchen sink at the visitors and they are forced to concede a corner. The ball is whipped into the box and cleared into the path of Asare, whose driven shot is kept out easily by Lopes down low.
Penalty? Lacazette is the threat again for Lyon and he jinks around a couple of defenders before almost hitting the deck inside the area. The referee waves play on and Lyon do not have too many complaints to be honest.
The visitors are just starting to get back into the encounter following a blistering start from the Gent. Lacazette provides some clever hold-up play this time, but the move breaks down when Ferri drills hopelessly wide of the target.
Depoitre is certainly making himself known to the Lyon defence. This time he shows great strength to bustle past the centre-backs, although he is eventually crowded out just as he looks to link up with Foket inside the away box.
Rafeal wins a free kick off Asare down in the right corner of the pitch. Lyon go for the short one and it is a huge waste as Gent steal the ball and move forward on the counter, which takes some good Lyon defending to stop.
Gent are continuing to try and break the deadlock, leaving Kums to seek out a strong effort from range. He gets enough power, but the placement is straight down the throat of Lopes who claims at the first chance.
CLOSE! Depoitre has the ball in the back of the net after getting on the end of an inch-perfect cross, but the linesman flags for offside. Replays show that he is just a fraction in front of the defence. Great call! I thought he was well onside...
So after 30 minutes of action it has been Gent who have dominated on home soil. Their exploitation of the flanks has been excellent, however they have been unable to take their chances and that may come back to haunt them later in the game.
Fournier's men are being continually frustrated as Gent deploy an impressive pressing system in the first half. The hosts have won the ball back and turned defence into attack very quickly thus far in this game.
SAVE! Lacazette almost turns the game on its head after bursting forward past the centre-backs. He is just faced with Sels in the Gent goal, but the keeper manages to get his leg on the effort and send it wide of the post.
Simons shows wonderful feet to oust Rafael down in the corner, and he then turns the ball into the box for captain Kums. The midfielder sends the ball beyond Morel, before being blocked off by the centre-back. Good last-ditch defending from the visitors!
Lyon win the chance to send in a ball into the box from a free kick, but the free kick from Valbuena is a poor one and it sails over the bar without troubling Sels. Beauvue is then almost in off the back of Nielsen, who eventually recovers to snatch the ball away before the frontman can shoot.
RED CARD! Dejaegere is in tears as he is given a straight red card for a tackle on Gonalons. He does go over the ball with a one-footed challenge, but does not make much contact with the Lyon man. It looks like a terrible decision from the referee, who failed to dismiss Ferri for what seemed like an assault earlier in the game.
CHANCE! But still Gent come and they should maybe be awarded with a penalty when Depoitre reverses a brilliant ball into the path of Renato Neto, who cannot quite find the finish as he is caught by Lopes.
Lyon win a kick in the dying embers, but Valbuena's set piece is a poor one once more.
HALF TIME: GENT 0-0 LYON
What an end to an enthralling half of football! The referee has had a massive hand in what could end up being a sorry night for the hosts. Lyon should have been down to ten men early in the game, but instead they find themselves at a disadvantage following a more than questionable decision from the officials.
Gent have been much the better side tonight, showing some fantastic organisation and attacking use of the flanks on home soil. They are very unlucky not to be ahead after hitting the bar and also having a goal ruled out by a marginal offside decision.
Simon and Depoitre have been the major threats for the home side, with the latter coming close on two occasions to giving Gent a vital lead. Vanhaezebrouck will be delighted with what he has seen here, although any hope of a victory might just have been thwarted by Dejaegere's dismissal before the half-time whistle.
Lyon have held the majority of possession with 57% of the ball in the first period, but Gent have certainly used their share a lot better than the away side. Both sides have had eight attempts on goal, with Gent registering four on target compared to Lyon's one.
How do Gent come out to play this fixture in the second half? Gaining a goal advantage in the second period would give them hope of maybe snatching a draw, but they will have to open themselves up with ten men if they are to create more chances. Lyon could quite easily undo them on the counter given their numerical superiority.
Depoitre has been the standout performer, here is a snap of him in action against Umtiti:
© Getty Images
SUBSTITUTE: Simon has clearly had his impact as Rafael is replaced at right-back by the experienced Christophe Jallet.
KICKOFF! Gent come down the right with Focket and earn a dangerous thrown in an attacking position. Depoitre receives but concedes a Lyon throw following a poor touch.
SAVE! Lacazette nearly puts Lyon in front as he twists and turns to beat his marker inside the box. In one movement he creates space to curl an effort down towards the bottom corner. Sels sees it late but is able to get on a hand on it to turn the ball around the post.
Lyon are dominant now and they come down the right with Jallet. The full-back's ball is a perfect one across the face of goal and Nielsen has to produce some telling defending to deflect the ball adroitly behind for a corner when an own goal seemed like the more likely outcome.
Jallet comes up with the goods again, but this time he has to produce some standout defending. The ball is dinked towards the back-post where Simon is lurking, leaving the full-back to steal in at the right time to win the ball back and prevent the chance.
The hosts still clearly believe in themselves as Asare pushes forward unchallenged. He reaches the edge of the area before firing in a strong low effort that is eventually blocked before reaching Lopes.
This game still hangs in the balance and you would not put it past either side to take all three points. Lyon are the favourites with the one-man advantage, however Gent have shown enough attacking threat in the second half to keep their visitors guessing.
GOAL! GENT 0-1 LYON (Christophe Jallet)
So there we have it, Lyon grab the vital opener in Belgium. The visitors get awarded a rather questionable corner, leaving Valbuena to whip a ball into the near post where Jallet gets beyond his marker to flick a wonderful glancing header beyond a stranded Sels.
Gent will need to open up a touch more now if they want to get back into this contest. That could leave them pray to the counter with just ten men, and Lyon might just fancy their chances of grabbing another few goals.
CLOSE! Lacazette has the ball in the back of the net for Lyon's second, but he is ruled offside by the linesman. The striker stole in front of Nielsen to meet Jallet's crossed delivery before being ousted by the official's flag. Replays suggest that he might just have been on, you know.
Gent are doing what they can to try and get themselves back into this, only to leave themselves exposed at the back. Lyon win the ball back from a corner and charge forward at pace. Gent are left for dead but are soon let off by a poor shot from Ferri who blasts over from outside of the area.
GOAL! GOAL! GENT 1-1 LYON (Danijel Milicevic)
And they have done it! Milicevic makes the sneakiest of runs on the outside right flank to find himself free of his marker. Meanwhile Kums is charging towards the box before spotting his teammate's run. He threads the ball through to leave Milicevic with a chance to strike. The midfielder makes no mistake with a drilled effort across goal and into the bottom corner.
YELLOW CARDS! Umtiti goes into the book for an industrial challenge on Depoitre, who is then shown a yellow himself following some tasty afters between the pair.
CHANCE! This is close... Jallet has been on a mission since his introduction and he comes steaming unchallenged down the right. His fine cross into the middle of the box is met by a diving Valbuena, who heads wide with just the keeper to beat. Lyon should be 2-1 ahead.
Lyon's early dominance has started to die off despite that chance just passed up by Valbuena. Either side could still win this!
Valbuena seeks to make amends with a big burst forward from the middle of the park. He beats one man before laying off wide for Ferri, who turns a terrible delivery into the area for Lacazette. Safe to say, the striker looks a tad miffed.
Fournier will be disappointed given that his side have failed to really take control of this fixture. Gent have fought back hard and are full value for the draw as it stands.
SUBSTITUTION: Ferri is replaced by Steed Malbranque, while Thomas Matton takes the place of goalscorer Milicevic for the hosts.
Matton almost makes an instant impact with his free kick, but nobody is able to get anything on it inside the box as the delivery flies through for Lopes to collect untroubled.
Lyon aim to stay patient as the ball is worked into the path of Kalulu in the final third. The move breaks down, however, as the striker handles under pressure. Gent are doing all they can to thwart every forward move from the hosts. Can they cling on?
We get some evidence of tired legs out on the pitch now as Foket overruns the ball and concedes a cheap thrown inside the Lyon half. The visitors push forward once again, but cannot find their way past a resilient Gent line.
RED CARD AND PENALTY TO LYON! Focket gets caught on the wrong side of Kalulu and he brings the frontman down inside the area. Penalty to Lyon...
PENALTY SAVED! Lacazette steps up for Lyon... And Sels saves. The frontman goes down the middle only to find the keeper's strong trailing hand that diverts the ball up and away from the goal. A wonderful stop from the Gent keeper, who might just have earned his side a point.
Gent are having to defend with nine men in these closing stages and they are doing it well. Kums wins a cheap foul off Malbranque to slow down the play.
Three minutes of additional time in Belgium! Can Lyon find a winner?
The Gent fans are trying to sing their team home. The hosts take what seems like an age to take a simple throw. Clever time wasting, you might say...
FULL TIME: GENT 1-1 LYON
Gent manage to hang on with nine men to record an impressive draw on their group-stage debut in the Champions League. The Belgium side thoroughly deserved this point and they might have achieved even more had it not been for a questionable decision from the referee in the first half.
Lyon, on the other hand, were rather poor and only started to get going midway through the second half of this game. They will have work to do if they want to get past both Zenit and Valencia in the next few months. That is going to be all from me tonight, thank you for joining us!
Written by
Christopher Dodd
Christopher Dodd
