Mark van Bommel initially barely received a question at the press chat after the match. The Antwerp coach responded to this with a smile. “I see you sitting there as if this is the most normal thing in the world,” he said. “I still think this was a fantastic achievement. From the first minute we played focused and aggressively forward, we immediately had opportunities and it was especially nice to see how we controlled the ball in the run-up to 2-0. I am just very proud of my young team.”
“You set certain goals before the season and going far in the cup is one of them,” the Dutch coach continued. “We will also try to secure the Champions’ play-offs from Sunday. It doesn’t matter how far we are or what our deficit is, we just have to make sure we are there.” Van Bommel also had reassuring news in store for the fans, who may have already feared that Vincent Janssen would not be there against STVV. “He just got hit, I took him to the side as a precaution. That has to be sorted out.”
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Chat between father and son
A striking trio appeared in front of the Eleven Sports cameras for the post-match interviews. Kurt Bataille, assistant coach at KV Oostende, looked back proudly on the Cup track of the Kustboys in the presence of his son and again cup finalist Jelle. “We were a size too small today,” father Bataille admitted. “Of course I am very proud of my son, but also that we reached the semi-finals with KV Oostende. We still eliminated first division teams and through the first leg it was still a match here.”
Ostend’s assistant coach may not go to Heysel with the coastal team, but his son Jelle does. And that for the second year in a row. “By the way, we have had an easier course than last season, but two finals is nice for this club. You saw that we were able to keep the ball moving well on our own field and put the pace into the game. we knew in advance that we were going to win if we played our own game.”
“It will be a great final,” the Antwerp wing defender looked ahead to the clash with Union. “But of course it is a matter of lifting the cup. It’s all about prizes in football. That would make up for our less year.”
D’Haese: “That is helpful in this difficult period”
Robbie D’Haese, Jelle Bataille’s best friend, also acknowledged afterwards that the Great Old was a size too big. “Antwerp was a few classes better today. We knew in advance that things had to go well. We concede two goals in the deadlock, which should be our strength, and then it becomes difficult to win. We fought, we gave everything and we can leave here with our heads held high.”
What was especially gratifying for the men of Ostend was the support of the supporters, who had made the long journey without complaint and in large numbers. “The fans were present in large numbers. That gives us support. It is good for the group of players in this difficult period.” Jelle Bataille, ex-Ostend, also saw this. “It’s great when you look at the number of supporters who traveled with us. That shows that Ostend is still a family club, and it should remain that way.”
“It was fun to be able to play against your best friend and your dad. I cherish that,” added a satisfied Bataille.
KVO coach Shoffner: “Antwerp put a lot of pressure on us”
KV Oostende coach Jamath Shoffner had to admit on Thursday evening that his team was outclassed by Antwerp, which won 3-0 in the return of the semi-final of the Belgian Cup. The first leg ended 1-1. “It was a difficult match for us,” said the American.
“Antwerp put a lot of pressure on us,” Shoffner said. “It was not easy to compete for our team in this atmosphere. But in the second half the boys showed a good response. Our second half was positive, we tried to apply more pressure. We can take that with us to this weekend.”