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- Gent 2 Wolfsburg 3: Draxler hits brace before hosts mount late fightback
Gent 2 Wolfsburg 3: Draxler hits brace before hosts mount late fightback
Late Gent goals from Sven Kums and Kalifa Coulibaly pegged back Wolfsburg, who ran out 3-2 winners thanks to Julian Draxler's double.
Julian Draxler netted a superb brace to put Gent's Champions League hopes in jeopardy as Wolfsburg ran out 3-2 winners at the Ghelamco Arena.
The German side marked their first appearance in the Champions League knockout stages with a first-leg victory over a Gent side that had been beaten just once in 30 previous home games, although the hosts mounted a late fightback to keep the tie close.
Max Kruse converted Christian Trasch's cross as the tie looked about to slip out of Gent's reach, but Sven Kums and Kalifa Coulibaly's late strikes will give the Belgians hope in the second leg at Volkswagen Arena.
Hecking's men looked determined to defy their dreadful away record but Gent almost found a chink in their armour when Laurent Depoitre's knock down fell to Thomas Foket on the edge of the penalty area, only for the midfielder to scoop his shot well high of Koen Casteels' goal.
The home crowd are unaccustomed to seeing their side struggle but they endured a nervous moment when Gent defender Stefan Mitrovic headed Max Arnold's dangerous cross just wide of his own goal after half an hour.
Wolfsburg sent on Andre Schurrle to add to their attacking threat in the second half, and the lead was doubled within 10 minutes of the restart.
A woefully loose ball from Renato Neto allowed Draxler to intercept and he skipped past Mitrovic before executing a deft chip to beat Sels and make it 2-0.
Wolfsburg poured forward again and Christian Trasch's brilliant first-time cross found Kruse, who applied an instinctive finish to beat Sels despite pressure from Mitrovic to seemingly put the tie to bed.
And the complexion of the tie was turned on its head as substitute Kenny Saief crossed for Kalifa Coulibaly to nod home at the near post to make it 3-2, although Wolfsburg's 100 per cent home record in this season's Champions league will give them cause for comfort in the return leg.