Kenyan international Joseph Okumu played a single half in KAA Gent’s 1-0 loss at PAOK Thessaloniki in a UEFA Europe Conference League round of 16.Okumu was booked within the first two minutes for a nasty tackle on Greek’s winger but later enjoyed a decent 45 minutes as Belgium’s defence managed to halt aggressive hosts.0-0 (2′) | Geel voor Okumu na een duwfout #paokgnt #UECL— KAA Gent (@KAAGent) March 10, 2022 Despite being the weaker side, the visitors were resilient enough at Toumba Stadium during that half. Still, Gent’s tactician decided to leave the 24-year-old on the bench after the break, replacing him with Jordan Torunarigha.Okumu returns for Gent after three-week absenceCoincidence or not, the Belgium slot conceded soon after, as Kurtic fired from the mid-range free-kick and Castro-Montes accidentally changed the ball’s trajectory, fooling his own keeper for 1-0.
Okumu’s teammates failed to make any presence in the danger zone, while the Greeks were pushing for the second but had to settle with a minimum win.UEFA EUROPE CONFERENCE LEAGUE – ROUND OF 16First legPAOK – Gent 1-0 (0-0)/Kurtic 58/Vitesse – Roma 0-1 (0-1)/Oliveira 45+1/Slavia Praha – LASK 4-1 (2-0)/Sor 3, 29, Olayinka 83, Traore 85 – Balic 67/Partizan – Feyenoord 2-5 (1-1)/Natcho 13, Jovic 46 – Toornstra 20, 77, Dessers 52, Geertruida 64, Sinisterra 71/