NXT and Gent II Share Points in Tense Draw
NXT and Gent II played out a 2:2 draw in the Challenger Pro League's sixth round on Friday evening. The result leaves NXT in eighth place with seven points after four matches, while Gent II remain in twelfth with four points. Three penalties were disallowed by VAR during a match that saw both sides create chances but struggle to finish.
Mohammed El Âdfaoui gave Gent II the lead in the tenth minute, and by then NXT looked to be scrambling to respond. Milan Robberechts equalised shortly before half-time in the thirty-fifth minute, and the momentum shifted. The hosts clawed their way back into the game, though the equaliser came with relief rather than celebration.
Things came to a head after the break when three penalty appeals went to review without success. Utku Kurtal's appeal in the thirty-seventh minute was cancelled, followed by incidents involving Gyano Vanderdonck in the sixtieth minute and Abubakar Abdullahi in the seventieth. Each incident went to review, and each was ruled out. To be fair, the referee had his hands full with a game that kept finding new ways to frustrate.
Gent II took the lead again in the fifty-sixth minute through Matisse Samoise, but Robberechts found a way through to level matters in the sixty-sixth minute. The goal brought him on level terms with his earlier strike, and it also brought NXT back into contention. The draw brought them together early in their second-half push, though neither side could find a winner.
Both teams had similar numbers of shots on target, five each, but NXT's 54 per cent possession meant they controlled more of the game. Gent II managed six blocked shots compared to NXT's three, suggesting they were more willing to throw bodies in front of danger. The statistics tell a story of a match where chances went begging for both sides.
NXT's recent form has been uneven, including a 4:4 draw with Lьеж and a 1:0 defeat to Епен. Gent II have not won since their 2:0 victory over Спортинг Хасселт, though they did earn a 2:2 draw with Андерлехт II last time out. The result does little to separate them in the table, and neither side gained much ground on their objectives.
The final standings show NXT seven points from four games and Gent II four points from the same number of matches. The gap remains small, and the points shared keep both teams within striking distance of each other. By then, the match had given both sides something to work with, even if neither could claim victory.
