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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Wolfsburg v Gent: Champions League last 16 – live! | Wolfsburg v Gent: Champions League last 16 – live! |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 8.04pm GMT | |
| 20:04 | |
| 18 min: Good stop from Sels to deny Guilavogui! Gent allowed too much space in midfield, and Draxler found Guilavogui, who hit it hard and true from 20 yards, but Sels plunged to his right to tip it round the post. Good goalkeeping. From the corner, Wolfsburg can’t make it count at the back post. | |
| 8.02pm GMT | |
| 20:02 | |
| 16 min: Simon does really well to go past Knoche on the left, but his cross is overhit. Then Dejaegere is called for a foul on Rodriguez. | |
| Just that one shot on target from Kruse so far, but Gent have played with assuredness. Wolfsburg haven’t had it all their own way, by any means. | |
| 7.59pm GMT | |
| 19:59 | |
| 13 min: First real chance for Wolfsburg, and it was Kruse. Great play from Schürrle on the right: he went at two defenders and really fizzed a low cross into the box, and Kruse collected and turned, but his shot was wide. | |
| 7.57pm GMT | |
| 19:57 | |
| 11 min: Sels is out quickly to stop Schürrle getting on the end of a long one. The hosts haven’t worked the visiting keeper yet. | |
| 7.55pm GMT | |
| 19:55 | |
| 9 min: Terrible pass from Rodriguez, and Kums was away: he streaked forward, checked inside and shot for goal, but Dante, I think it was, did well to get a block in. Gent have made a good start: they’ve been in control of possession. | |
| 7.53pm GMT | |
| 19:53 | |
| 7 min: Now Simon is penalised for a cuff to the face of Julian Draxler. Fortunately Draxler’s boy-band good looks are not compromised, and we play on. | |
| 7.52pm GMT | |
| 19:52 | |
| 6 min: Simon looks to wriggle past Guilavogi, and then goes down, but the Slovenian referee Damir Skomina is having none of it. | |
| 7.51pm GMT | |
| 19:51 | |
| 5 min: Dieter Hecking looks extremely relaxed on the Wolfsburg bench. But that will have agitated him somewhat: lovely ball over the top from Kums, and Milicevic got in between the two centre-backs, but his left-foot shot was over the bar! The angle was against him, but Milicevic might have worked the keeper then. | |
| 7.49pm GMT | |
| 19:49 | |
| 4 min: Oh, Schürrle was almost in! Gent turned it over, Draxler found Schürrle in the box, but his first touch was heavy, and Gershon got back to tackle. A better piece of control and the former Chelsea man would have been through on goal. | |
| 7.48pm GMT | |
| 19:48 | |
| 3 min: Gent have seen plenty of the ball so far. Dejaegere’s been involved once or twice down that right flank, but no clear openings yet. | |
| 7.46pm GMT | |
| 19:46 | |
| And we're off! | |
| 1 min: Wolfsburg in white with green trim; Gent in garish flourescent yellow. | |
| 7.42pm GMT | |
| 19:42 | |
| We’re about five minutes away. It’s packed at the 30,000-seater Volkswagen Arena. Wolfsburg have won three out of three at home in the Champions League this year – including that dramatic 3-2 victory that eliminated Manchester United. | |
| 7.36pm GMT | |
| 19:36 | |
| Gent manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck said his side need a “miracle” – but that doesn’t mean he’s giving up hope. | |
| “Wolfsburg generally don’t lose at home with more than two goals difference,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we’re giving up because miracles do happen.” | |
| Hmm. | |
| 7.31pm GMT | |
| 19:31 | |
| And if that wasn’t enough for you, we’ve got ‘Ull v Harsenal in the FA Cup. John Ashdown’s in the hotseat: | |
| Related: Hull City v Arsenal: FA Cup fifth-round replay – live! | |
| 7.27pm GMT | 7.27pm GMT |
| 19:27 | 19:27 |
| Roma, under new coach Luciano Spalletti, are in hot form in Serie A, but they have little hope against Real Madrid at Estadio Bernabeu: they’re already two down from the first leg. Follow their progress with the reassuringly excellent Scott Murray here: | Roma, under new coach Luciano Spalletti, are in hot form in Serie A, but they have little hope against Real Madrid at Estadio Bernabeu: they’re already two down from the first leg. Follow their progress with the reassuringly excellent Scott Murray here: |
| Related: Real Madrid v Roma: Champions League last 16 – live! | Related: Real Madrid v Roma: Champions League last 16 – live! |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 7.27pm GMT | at 7.27pm GMT |
| 7.25pm GMT | 7.25pm GMT |
| 19:25 | 19:25 |
| For more on Gent, and their feelgood story after having to re-form in 1999, read this excellent piece from my colleague Nick Ames: | For more on Gent, and their feelgood story after having to re-form in 1999, read this excellent piece from my colleague Nick Ames: |
| “In the last few weeks we’ve signed almost every key player to a new contract and the aim is to keep them for next season,” says De Witte, whose team are well placed to win a second successive title. “Our first objective now is to compete at the top of the Belgian league, and then think about the European level. We have managed to solve the past; then we found the oxygen to look to the future.” | “In the last few weeks we’ve signed almost every key player to a new contract and the aim is to keep them for next season,” says De Witte, whose team are well placed to win a second successive title. “Our first objective now is to compete at the top of the Belgian league, and then think about the European level. We have managed to solve the past; then we found the oxygen to look to the future.” |
| Related: Gent put attitude above talent in search of new Champions League miracle | Related: Gent put attitude above talent in search of new Champions League miracle |
| 7.21pm GMT | 7.21pm GMT |
| 19:21 | 19:21 |
| Wolfsburg have a slew of injuries – Bas Dost, Diego Benaglio and Naldo are all out – but Maximilian Arnold comes in for his first Champions League start, and will play wide on the right. Expect Andreas Schürrle to start from the left side, with Julian Draxler through the middle. A blow for Gent: Laurent Depoitre is only fit enough for the bench after picking up an abdominal injury. | Wolfsburg have a slew of injuries – Bas Dost, Diego Benaglio and Naldo are all out – but Maximilian Arnold comes in for his first Champions League start, and will play wide on the right. Expect Andreas Schürrle to start from the left side, with Julian Draxler through the middle. A blow for Gent: Laurent Depoitre is only fit enough for the bench after picking up an abdominal injury. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 7.21pm GMT | at 7.21pm GMT |
| 7.18pm GMT | 7.18pm GMT |
| 19:18 | 19:18 |
| Tonight's teams | Tonight's teams |
| Wolfsburg: Casteels; Trasch, Knoche, Dante, Rodriguez; Guilavogui, Luiz Gustavo; Arnold, Draxler, Schurrle; Kruse. Subs: Grun, Schafer, Ascues, Caligiuri, Vieirinha, Henrique, Putaro. | Wolfsburg: Casteels; Trasch, Knoche, Dante, Rodriguez; Guilavogui, Luiz Gustavo; Arnold, Draxler, Schurrle; Kruse. Subs: Grun, Schafer, Ascues, Caligiuri, Vieirinha, Henrique, Putaro. |
| Gent: Sels; Rafinha, Nielsen, Gershon, Asare; Dejaegere, Renato Neto, Kums, Matton; Milicevic, Simon. Subs: Thoelen, Coulibaly, Depoitre, Saief, Deaux, Wikheim, Foket. | Gent: Sels; Rafinha, Nielsen, Gershon, Asare; Dejaegere, Renato Neto, Kums, Matton; Milicevic, Simon. Subs: Thoelen, Coulibaly, Depoitre, Saief, Deaux, Wikheim, Foket. |
| Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN) | Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN) |
| 7.10pm GMT | 7.10pm GMT |
| 19:10 | 19:10 |
| Hello and welcome | Hello and welcome |
| We all love the Champions League, but it doesn’t pack much of a surprise, does it? The quality has never been better, but so consistent is the excellence among the elite that the old days of minnows reaching the business end may be long gone. We may never get to see a Malmo, or a Leverkusen, or an Arsenal contesting a major final again. | We all love the Champions League, but it doesn’t pack much of a surprise, does it? The quality has never been better, but so consistent is the excellence among the elite that the old days of minnows reaching the business end may be long gone. We may never get to see a Malmo, or a Leverkusen, or an Arsenal contesting a major final again. |
| But tonight’s second leg at the Volkswagen Arena means we’ll have a new face in the quarter-finals whatever happens: Wolfsburg and Gent have never been to the last eight, although the visitors have already made history by becoming the first Belgian side to reach the Champions League knockout stages. Could go they go one better? | But tonight’s second leg at the Volkswagen Arena means we’ll have a new face in the quarter-finals whatever happens: Wolfsburg and Gent have never been to the last eight, although the visitors have already made history by becoming the first Belgian side to reach the Champions League knockout stages. Could go they go one better? |
| Wolfsburg are heavy favorites: their 3-2 win at the Ghelamco Arena put them in control of the tie, but it could have been all over by now: the Wolves were 3-0 up with 10 minutes to play, when late goals gave Gent at least a sniff. But it’d take something special for the Belgians to go through – they need to win by two, or the odd goal in a zany 5-4 thriller. | Wolfsburg are heavy favorites: their 3-2 win at the Ghelamco Arena put them in control of the tie, but it could have been all over by now: the Wolves were 3-0 up with 10 minutes to play, when late goals gave Gent at least a sniff. But it’d take something special for the Belgians to go through – they need to win by two, or the odd goal in a zany 5-4 thriller. |
| Kick-off is 8.45pm local time, 7.45pm GMT and 2.45pm ET. Join us then. | Kick-off is 8.45pm local time, 7.45pm GMT and 2.45pm ET. Join us then. |
| 4.39pm GMT | 4.39pm GMT |
| 16:39 | 16:39 |
| Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime, why not refresh your memory with how the first leg played out in Flanders: | Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime, why not refresh your memory with how the first leg played out in Flanders: |
| Related: Gent 2-3 Wolfsburg: Champions League – as it happened! | Related: Gent 2-3 Wolfsburg: Champions League – as it happened! |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.47pm GMT | at 4.47pm GMT |