On Monday evening, the Brugge reserves started their Play-Off 1 campaign in a freezing Torhout with a match against AA Gent. Initially, Club struggled against an aggressive Gent, but gained the upper hand as the game progressed. However, no goals were scored.
Rik De Mil fielded a very young team against the Buffalos, resulting in a challenging opening phase. Gent was eager but did not create any clear-cut chances. Gradually, the Brugge youngsters restored balance and the combinations flowed more smoothly. Only De Ketelaere managed to break through, but his shot after a dribble was saved by the goalkeeper. Shinton had to clear a ball from the goal line at the other end and later made a fine reflex save. Another shot from De Ketelaere was also cleared off the line.
The second half began similarly to the first, with the visitors posing more of a threat, yet our reserves quickly regained balance. Captain Voet and his young defense neutralized all of Gent's attacks. The ball did dangerously hover in front of goal once, and there were some heated moments in the penalty area. Coach De Mil brought on Van Acker and De Kuyffer. The reserves started to believe in their chances more. Ugur directed the team. Voet almost headed in from a corner. In a counterattack, our reserves found themselves four against one in front of the visiting penalty area. De Kuyffer passed perfectly to Ugur, who then shot straight at the advancing goalkeeper. Ugur later delivered the ball perfectly into the box again, but De Wolf missed what would have been a deserved winning goal at that moment. Club continued to threaten until the end, but the match finished in a goalless draw. Even the late substitute striker Cambier couldn't make the difference.
Club Brugge: Shinton, Van Der Brempt, Dendoncker, Voet, De Cuyper, Van Oudenhove, Van Den Keybus (62’ Van Acker), Ugur, Osei-Berkoe (66’ De Kuyffer), De Ketelaere (89’ Cambier), De Wolf
