KVC Westerlo might have imagined its first match of 2026 differently. The Gamecocks lost 0-2 to Cercle Brugge on their own field and see green-black closing in on four points.
Westerlo had lost its last match of 2025 2-0 to KAA Gent and therefore had to put something right against Cercle. However, Emin Bayram immediately put a dampener on the match with an own goal.
Oluwaseun Adewumi made it 0-2 shortly before half-time on a corner. Westerlo could not score after the break and immediately suffered a first defeat in 2026. Coach Issame Charaï saw his team make crucial mistakes.
Westerlo didn’t bring enough energy
“The disappointment is enormous, especially about the start of the match,” Sporza said. “I don’t think how we started is enough, we brought too little energy and won too few duels. If you don’t do that against Cercle, you are bringing it on yourself.”
“An own goal and a corner, that is very avoidable,” says Charaï. “Certainly if you already received a warning in that first zone on the first corner, then you have to attack that ball better.”
“We showed better energy in the second half, but we lacked efficiency. We have to build on the energy after the break,” he looks ahead.
