2024 has started off perfectly for Club Brugge. After the cup win against KAA Gent, he left no stone unturned in his first match in a competition too. Westerlo was a bird to Jan Breydel’s cat. Igor Thiago scored 2 goals in the logical 3-0 victory. The club leapfrogs Racing Genk into 4th place.
Club Brugge-Westerlo in brief:
Key moment: Shortly after the hour mark, Thiago converted his penalty with a fluke, good for his second of the night and his 13th of the season. Westerlo could no longer think of an answer to that double blow.
Man of the match: 2 unorthodox goals, but they count as much as the World Cup goals. Igor Thiago scored the 1-0 goal and saw his penalty to make it 2-0 saved by Bolat and then rolled over the goal line. The Brazilian striker proved to be particularly effective tonight too.
Surprising: After last season’s stunt, when Westerlo won 0-2 in Bruges, the Club has put its affairs in order. It has lost only twice in its history against the Gamecocks and there has been no third loss. The unbeaten streak of the blue-blacks thus extends to 13 matches in all competitions.
The Club thanks Thiago again
An old acquaintance and obviously still friend at home Rik De Mil came to visit Jan Breydel with Westerlo. But even old friends don’t just receive gifts from Club Brugge.
After a good start from Westerlo, the hosts took control of the match, without however creating any big chances.
Thiago headed the best chance on the outside of the post, at the other end Maxim De Cuyper was the saving angel against his former team with a definitive interception on Daci’s tap-in.
Visitors certainly continued to attend at times. A ball under the armpit of Skov Olsen in their own area raised the Westelse mood, but they did not receive a penalty for this.
Immediately afterwards the Bluneri responded with an excellent attack. Zinckernagel finds Thiago at the far post, who unusually scores his 12th goal of the season into an empty net. The Brazilian striker continues to do so for his team even after the winter break.
Thiago scored both before and after the break.
Westerlo can no longer make a fist
And Thiago was also effective in the second half, seizing the opportunity from eleven meters. Daci receives the ball with his head on his raised arm, Laforge is relentless and points to the spot.
Excellent work for Thiago, who had the necessary amount of luck for his second of the evening. Bolat managed to save his mediocre penalty, but the ball was full of impact and still rolled over the goal line.
Westerlo, absent in attack in the second half, was unable to overcome the 2-0 lead. Antonio Nusa managed to increase the score to 3 after a touch just before the goal line on a lob from Vanaken, who was already on the verge of falling.
After a business match, Club Brugge could easily add the 3 points. Blauw-zwart overtakes Racing Genk and places 4th in the standings, Westerlo remains 11th.
De Mil: “Right match, that red card at the end wasn’t absolutely necessary”
Ronny Deila (Club Brugge coach): “It was a mature match from us, in which we created chances and they actually only had one in the first half. We continued and in the end our quality came to the fore. I I am very satisfied with today’s performance, including the substitutes.”
Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge): “We had the game under control, but Westerlo was well blocked and this made it difficult for us to create chances in the first half. We were patient and we were a bit lucky with the penalty, which Westerlo didn’t take come anymore.”
Rik De Mil (coach Westerlo): “Club Brugge put a lot of pressure on us. We had difficult moments after our first 10 good minutes. In attack it was very difficult today, but it’s a learning process. We still have to take steps in possession of the ball. We have come a long way and at the beginning we worked above all to create a group. After the match I spoke to the referees about the late red card for Piedfort. It was a fair match so I didn’t speak I don’t think it was necessary at all.”
Thomas Van den Keybus (Westerlo): “After every goal we conceded we weakened a little. We didn’t win any more balls after the break and we lost every ball going forward.”
Phase by phase
END: It remains 3-0
Substitute Skoras had one last chance at number 4, but it hit Bolat’s legs. It therefore remains at 3-0: a corporate victory for an efficient Club Brugge, who only had one difficult customer in Westerlo in the first half.
Red for Piefort
In a game already over, this can only be called a youthful sin. Piedfort gets the second unnecessary yellow for a push and can leave the field a minute and a half before his teammates.
3 – extra time
An additional 3 minutes will be added.
Jutgla scores immediately, but offside
The Spaniard desperately wants to score again and does so, but the flag goes up. Jutgla was in fact offside, as the VAR images confirm.
3 substitutions now at Club Brugge. Jutgla can still chase the goal in place of Thiago, Sabbe arrives to replace the strong by playing De Cuyper. Skoras replaces Skov Olsen.
GOAL: Nusa beats Club 3-0!
There’s number 3! Although it is not immediately clear who the name comes from. Vanaken throws the ball to Bolat from an acute angle and the ball would have fallen into the goal even without Nusa’s touch. The Norwegian touches the leather again just on the goal line and is thus credited with the goal: 3-0 and the match is completely over.
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Ronny Deila also takes 2 players wide. Zinckernagel and Nielsen, the golden couple of the opening goal, can rest. Balanta and Nusa still have fifteen minutes of play.
