Valencia threw away the chance to reach the Champions League last 16 after they fell to a shock 1-0 defeat at Gent on Wednesday.
Despite seeing plenty of the ball in Belgium, Valencia struggled for creativity as Gent proved the more dangerous of the two teams in front of goal, Aderlan Santos being forced into a clearance off the line and Brecht Dejaegere heading over from point-blank range early on.
Nonetheless, Gent did not pay for their profligacy and found the winner from the penalty spot as Antonio Barragan blocked Kenny Saief’s cross with his hand. Up stepped Sven Kums, who blasted his effort into the top-left corner of Jaume Domenech’s goal.
The result leaves Valencia second in Group H on six points but now only two in front of Gent, who secured their first-ever Champions League win in the process.
Gent 1-0 Valencia
Kums pen 49
Gent: Sels; Foket, Nielsen, Mitrovic, Asare; Kums, Neto; Saief (Raman 55, Rafinha 85), Milicevic, Dejaegere (Dejaegere 90); Depoitre
Valencia: Domenech; Barragan, Mustafi, Santos, Gaya; Parejo, Fuego (Gomes 63), Perez; Feghouli (Cancelo 70), Alcacer, Mina (Piatti 46)
Referee: Orsato [ITA]