Jupiler Pro League – matchday 19 – 21/12/25 – 19:16
| time | icon | player | homeTime | homeIcon | homePlayer | score | awayPlayer | awayIcon | awayTime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| goal by Pieter Gerkens after 7′, 0 – 1 | |||||||||
| goal by Pieter Gerkens after 19′, 0 – 2 |
For the first time since August 23, Cercle Brugge has won in the Jupiler Pro League. In the cracker at the bottom of the rankings against OH Leuven, Pieter Gerkens scored the two goals. Did he single-handedly save the skin of trainer Onur Cinel?
OH Leuven – Cercle Brugge in a nutshell:
- Key moment
OH Leuven is completely off track in the first half, but gets off to a good start after the break. Warleson, who was surprisingly preferred to Delanghe, prevented a difficult second half for Cercle with two great saves on a shot by George and a header by Dussenne.
- Man of the match
He was honest enough to attribute his second goal to Birger Verstraete, but the images are not clear. So let’s limit it to two goals for Pieter Gerkens. In doing so, he capitalized on Cercle’s blitz start and laid the foundation for the long-awaited victory.
- Remarkable
For Cercle Brugge it is only the second away win of the season. OH Leuven continues to wait for a home victory against the Association. Since February 12, 2022, the people of Leuven have not managed to beat Cercle Brugge in front of their own people.
Gerkens gives Cercle a dream start to Den Dreef
0-2 after barely twenty minutes. Signed: Pieter Gerkens. Anyone who witnessed the free fall of Cercle Brugge in recent weeks could hardly believe it. The Association made a blitz start at Den Dreef.
However, it started with an unlikely miss by Ngoura, who should have made it 0-1 after just two minutes. But five minutes later Cercle got its dream start. On a long throw-in, Lakomy headed the ball unluckily into the feet of Gerkens in the box and he hit the target in no time.
Before the first twenty minutes were over, Gerkens already had his foot in the second Cercle goal, although he kept it to an own goal from Verstraete. Ngoura was launched perfectly on the left and his cross was extended into the goal at the near post.
Halfway through the first half, Gerkens even came close to a hat-trick when he headed narrowly wide on a pass from Magnée.
And OH Leuven? To the annoyance of the home crowd, that made very little sense. Felice Mazzu made a double substitution after half an hour, but it did not make much difference. A whistle concert and boos at half-time were significant.
Warleson prevents Leuven comeback
After an unemployed first half, Warleson, who was surprisingly preferred to Delanghe at Cercle, had to start after half-time. The goalkeeper needed an excellent save from a long shot from recently substituted George and also had to be alert to a header from Dussenne.
A promising start for the home team, but the big opportunities did not materialize afterwards. With a spectacular bicycle kick, Maertens came close to the tying goal. Cercle chose to fully defend its lead with a low block and barely managed to get out of it themselves.
In the final phase, the puppets started dancing for a while when Warleson had to fire a shot from Terho. In the melee in front of goal, the goalkeeper was eventually given the error, to the anger of the OHL players who claimed hands from Nazinho. In the uproar, Nyakossi escaped red for a firm push on Ravych.
Cercle survived and finally took another three-pointer after four months without a competition victory. OH Leuven suffered its third defeat in the last five games in its last home game of the year. Not a nice way to wave goodbye to 2025.
“Scandalous first half, a ridiculous evening”
- Onur Cinel (Cercle Brugge): “I am very happy for my players, because they deserved this feeling much earlier. We have already played good games before, some were even better than today. The players did everything they could to win, our first half was very good. The second half was tough, but we fought. We did not give away a big chance, it is a deserved victory. It was important to score that first goal and the second soon followed. A 2-0 lead at half time is something we have not often experienced. We We were very efficient in the opponent’s box and that made the difference today. We have missed Gerkens in recent weeks, he has done an excellent job.
- Felice Mazzu (trainer OH Leuven): “Our first half was scandalous. If you are only on the appointment for one half, you cannot win a match. We were overwhelmed in the first half, lost a lot of matches. At Cercle there was also more depth, we defended poorly and there was too much waste in our game. If you start the match with a lack of intensity and concentration, you swallow goals. We were punished very quickly today. That double substitution after 28 minutes? That is the first time in my career. We had to intervene to to turn the situation around in the first half. I could have replaced several players, but unfortunately some of them paid the price. With the exception of Nyakossi, we were better in the last ten minutes of the first half.
- Birger (OH Leuven): “If you are 2-0 behind against Cercle Brugge after 20 minutes, then it becomes a difficult story. We played a scandalous first half. We were nowhere on target. We did not implement anything from our tactical plan. I honestly have no words for it. The first half was really scandalously bad. If you see how we play in the second half, you see the difference with the first half. For me that is a mentality problem, a focus problem. We do not really realize the situation we are in. today. That first half was really the worst I have ever seen. Not much had to be said during halftime, everyone realized that it was not working. The coach then tries to make some adjustments and then it is up to us to show a reaction.
End
After four months without a competition win, Cercle Brugge finally takes another three-pointer. Thanks to a strong first half in which Gerkens was able to score twice. OH Leuven straightened out after a dramatic first half, but the better play in the second half did not result in many opportunities. George and Dussenne came closest to the tying goal, but Warleson kept Cercle afloat.
Verlinden not past Warleson
Verlinden is still able to put Warleson to work from an acute angle. OH Leuven is left with a corner kick, but Warleson is able to grab the ball.
Ikwuemesi takes the shot of the last hope, but he cannot frame his long shot. OH Leuven will lose its last home match of 2025, that much is now clear.
An extra 10 minutes will be added.
Yellow for Nyakossi
Allaert calls captains Maertens and Van der Bruggen to make his decision. And it reads: no red card, but a yellow card for Nyakossi’s rough push.
The VAR is still checking the phase. Has someone crossed the line and is a red card coming? In any case, Allaerts should look at the monitor.
Uproar
The dolls start dancing for a while in the final phase. Warleson has to release the ball on a shot from Terho and then a confused phase ensues with pulling and pushing. Ultimately, Allaerts whistled for a foul on the goalkeeper, much to the annoyance of OHL. There is a big fight, including Nyakossi who pushes Ravych over.
Terho aims a free kick into the wall and follows it up with a weak replay. A bit like this last home game of 2025 for OH Leuven.
Also yellow for Adewumi
The ninth yellow card in this match goes to Adewumi. He is booked for a foul on Terho.
Double change
At Cercle they are throwing two more fresh forces into the fray. Goalscorers Gerkens and Agyekum are replaced by Diakité and Diaby.
Mazzu throws his last trump card on the table with Terho. The match is over for Dussenne.
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