The “survivors” of Club Brugge have struck again. After a great comeback in the competition, Racing Genk now also knocked out of the cup from a beaten position. It knocked the Limburgers on penalties, after they made up for a deficit twice before. De Ketelaere was the big savior with the 3-3 in the 89th minute. Club remained the coolest in the penalty shootout. Was the defeat too much for John van den Brom? A new boost for Philippe Clement anyway.
Goals:
- 7 ‘Balanta 0-1
- 29 ‘Thorstvedt 1-1
- 45+2′ Paintsil 2-1
- 69′ De Ketelaere 2-2
- 71′ Paintsil 3-2
- 90′ De Ketelaere 3-3
Genk – Club Brugge in short
- Key moment: An absurd twist in added time. After the sledgehammer blow of the 3-3, Genk scrambles to his feet again, only to stumble clumsily over his own feet in the person of Ugbo. Not 4-3, and the penalties go wrong.
- Man of the Match: Thorstvedt is an annoying guy to play with with his sturdy build and sneaky features. The chunky Norwegian also has a refined technique and a lot of rest. That was evident in his cool finish at the 1-1.
- Remarkable: Just like three seasons ago (against then still second division Union) and two seasons ago (against later winner Antwerp), Genk has to leave the Belgian Cup after a penalty shootout. It was the final winner last season.
Watch the bloodcurdling penalty shootout between Genk and Club Brugge
Genk wipes out quick goal
After the defeat in Sunday’s top match, Genk wanted to take revenge against Club. Van den Brom opted for five new names, with Leysen in goal and with a sharp and agile trident in the front. With the visitors, Vormer was allowed to start again from Clement.
Mignolet had to distinguish himself in the first minute on a header from Ito. Outgoing cup winner Genk took a real cannon start, but champion Club Brugge still took the lead. Balanta took the ball very hard and shoved it into the top corner. Despite the umpteenth blow in recent weeks, the home team continued to radiate confidence. When ref Laforge stopped the game for a while after hurting chants, the rhythm was broken.
At about half an hour, Thorstvedt cranked up the engine again. Taking advantage of a misunderstanding, he feigned first and then scored the equalizer. It got even better for Racing Genk, because in the added time the escaped Bongonda very selflessly awarded the 2-1 to Paintsil. A deserved lead, that’s for sure.
Watch the 3 goals before half time:
Club Brugge drags extensions out of the fire
With the input of Ricca and Rits, Clement tried to get his team to play football, but that intervention only worked for a few minutes. A waiting Genk, where Vandevoordt was again in goal due to a head injury at Leysen, never really came under pressure. The resignation of captain Heynen was a fresh setback.
The equalizer came completely out of the blue. A floating header from De Ketelaere rebalanced the plates, but that lasted less than two minutes. It was again the swift Paintsil who was allowed to leave behind the Bruges defense and made it 3-2. Another fine example of resilience in difficult Limburg times.
Clement kept his bills on hand. That seemed like a wrong choice, until De Ketelaere again scored in the added time. What followed was an unlikely conclusion in which Genk tore his hair out. Vormer saved a ball from the line and Ugbo tripped over a clump of grass when he had the 4-3 at his feet.
Watch the 3 goals after the break:
Hrosovsky is the only one to miss his penalty
The overtimes were less exciting. The first half was even a measure for nothing, with two teams not wanting to make any capital mistakes. After the side change, substitute Oyen came closest to making the decision. From the turn, he collided with an excellent Mignolet.
Penalty kicks had to indicate a winner. Club Brugge seemed at a disadvantage, because specialists Vormer and Vanaken had already been replaced. However, it was Hrosovsky who was the only one who went wrong. Lang sprinkled salt in the wound by kicking in the decisive eleven meter. Genk thus encounters a new trauma, Club crawls through the eye of the needle to the quarterfinals.
wow! Mignolet unpacks early with world save
Ugbo still gets the ultimate chance, but bluntly kicks into the ground
Mignolet goes well on Oyen’s shot
