Foket bemoans 'lucky' Valencia winner

Gent goalscorer Thomas Foket lamented his side's bad luck following a 2-1 Champions League defeat to Valencia, but said they would leave the Mestalla with their heads held high.

Foket produced a thumping finish to cancel out Sofiane Feghouli's opener late in the first half and the Belgians looked capable of pulling off an upset for much of the second.

However, the ball found its way into the Gent net via defender Stefan Mitrovic in the 72nd minute and the visitors failed to restore parity thereafter, meaning they sit third in Group H, five points behind their opponents ahead of the return fixture in two weeks' time.

"They started with full force, we survived that, then they scored a lucky goal," said Foket.

"It really is a pleasure that we showed we can also play good football at the highest level."

Discussing his goal, Foket continued: "The ball just fell for my left foot and I thought: this is the Champions League, so let's shoot at the goal.

"I do not score many goals normally but scoring in the Champions League is a lovely feeling.

"The final result is sour but we leave here with a positive feeling."