Club Brugge flushed its European elimination with a win in the league. Zulte Waregem, which has dropped to penultimate place due to Cercle’s victory, went 3-0 for the axe.
Club Brugge – Zulte Waregem in a nutshell:
- Key moment: With a 1-0 score, Sobol just gives the ball to Gano as a gift. He has the equalizer at the foot and can bring Zulte Waregem back into the match, but misses incomprehensibly.
- Man of the match: Charles De Ketelaere only reached his best level at times, but with a goal and an assist he was again the defining player at Club Brugge.
- Remarkable: A clean sheet for Simon Mignolet, that was already from October 15 against KV Kortrijk. Also today Mignolet did not stay clear, but the VAR gave him a hand.
View the goals from Club Brugge – Zulte Waregem (3-0)
De Ketelaere opens the score, Gano misses the equalizer
Club Brugge started the game hesitantly in a moderately filled Jan Breydel stadium. The first chances were also for Zulte Waregem, but after about ten minutes Club gradually got up to speed. Sandra, again in the starting line-up for blue-black, missed the first big chance of the game.
Don’t worry, because moments later it was the home team’s prize. Club Charles De Ketelaere cleared it with a few quick taps and he deposited the 1-0 bone dry next to a hopeless Bossut in the corner.
After the goal, Club slowed down a bit and started to mess up, especially in the back. Sobol offered Gano the equalizer, but he rammed the ball incomprehensibly over. Hendry and N’Soki also illustrated the defensive insecurity at Club with bad back passes, Zulte Waregem forgot to take advantage.
The best chance before the break was still for Club Brugge. Lang was able to hit the penalty point, defender Vigen came to the aid of his goalkeeper and saved in front of the goal line.
Club Brugge gets away well three times after a mess in the back
Zulte Waregem can’t make a fist after the break
Philippe Clement sent Ruud Vormer into the meadow after the break and the Dutchman immediately brought more flair to the team. It was also his corner that fell right in front of Mats Rits’s foot, and it put the reassuring 2-0 on the board.
This opened the way to victory for Club, which no longer ran into problems against a young Zulte Waregem. Fifteen minutes before the end, the home team finished the job completely: De Ketelaere rushed past his guard and gave Lang the 3-0.
In the final phase, Mignolet threw away his clean sheet by releasing a cross from Srarfi. Gano scored the 3-1, but the VAR had seen offside and disallowed the goal.
After the European exit, Club Brugge resumes with a victory in the competition, good for a nice 9 out of 9. At Zulte Waregem, Francky Dury’s farewell season threatens to turn more and more into a calvary tour.
100-year-old former player kicks off at Club Brugge
Hopping Lang has suddenly recovered and starts attack
Clement: “Sometimes too many risks in the back”
- Philippe Clement (Club Brugge): “These are very important points again. We are three points clear of Antwerp, that is important. And it is also a deserved victory. It is not that everything was good in this game, but the boys have made some very good attacks and scored good goals. And in the end we also keep that clean sheet. We can build on this: 9 out of 9 in the league, Genk eliminated in the cup, and now on to Wednesday.”
“In the first half, sometimes too much risk was taken in the back. That was not what we had asked for. In the second half it was better. Maybe that’s a bit of nervousness to want to do well and play football well, but those risks , that’s not what we ask, so it’s good that you can adjust that at halftime.”
“The games now come in quick succession. Then it is important to get 9 out of 9 and keep that hunger to look further, get the most out of the next games and go into the winter break in a good situation.”
- Francky Dury (Zulte Waregem): “I thought we had it reasonably under control in the first half. Twice we had a moment when we didn’t follow the running people and that they had an opportunity. But we also had opportunities. If we do that pressing a little better, we might even be able to score. But well, if you let De Ketelaere build after fifteen minutes from around sixteen, that is a mistake.”
“We had it more difficult in the second half. Club played to its best side. It became 2-0 and then we got more difficult and more difficult. They then scored a third goal and then it was over, even though we tried anyway to stay in the game.”
“We now have to focus on the important week that is coming. Union and KV Mechelen are not crazy either, but one day we will have to surprise and come out of our position. Those are the moments that we now have to to take.”
