Following the smooth qualification for the final Conference League qualifying round earlier this week, Blauw-Zwart hosted newcomers RWDM on matchday four of the Jupiler Pro League. Club were 2-1 up at half-time, with three goals in five minutes, but raced to a 7-1 win in the second half. An extra confidence boost in view of next Thursday's match at Osasuna.
As expected, coach Deila changed his line-up in some positions, sending his standard line-up into the fray for the home game against RWDM, except for one necessary change: captain Vanaken did not feel his best and started on the bench, leaving Zinckernagel to team up with Vetlesen and Onyedika in midfield. Nusa replaced the captain and played on the left-hand side.
Blauw-Zwart hogged the ball right from the start, pinning the visitors down on their own half. Just two minutes into the game, Zinckernagel tried from afar, but his shot trickled wide. Nusa's chance proved even better, seeing his effort shatter the crossbar after a brilliant run ripping through the visitors' defensive line. Fifteen minutes on, Jan Breydel erupted a first time. De Cuyper with an inch-perfect cross and Zinckernagel headed in brilliantly past Defourny. Just two minutes later the game was tied again when Sanchez sidefooted in for RWDM after a good attacking move from the visiting side. However, Blauw-Zwart hit back straight away. Nusa found Skov Olsen at the far post with a low cross and the Dane fired in from close range to make it 2-1. Three goals in five minutes time!
The intensity levels dropped a bit after that five-minute spell, but on the half-hour mark Nusa fired just over the crossbar from an acute angle following a one-two with Thiago. Five minutes later Zinckernagel latched on to a through ball, but his finish went just wide.
On the stroke of half-time RWDM almost leveled again when Biron went through on goal after a rare mistake by Onyedika, but Mignolet was quick to the ground to deny the striker with a good reflex save.
Three changes at the break: Gueye and Dailly came on for the visitors, while Deila kept De Cuyper in the dressing room having received a knock to the back. He was replaced by academy graduate Sabbe. It took the sub only seven minutes to link up with Vetlesen and see his low cross being tapped in by Thiago. Just past the hour-mark Skov Olsen put the game beyond all doubt when his failed cross took Defourny off guard at the near post and the ball went in: 4-1.
Still Club wanted more. Zinckernagel was played through, took a touch to get past his defender and then bent it just around the far post. Moments later Nusa got his name on the scoresheet as well when he was quick to pounce home on the rebound from Onyedika's strike against the post. Blauw-Zwart kept the pressure high on the visitors and added another goal when Skov Olsen's corner kick went over the top and met with Buchanan at the far post who headed home. A third goal for the Canadian in seven games across all competitions. The only second-half chance from RWDM was for Biron, but his strike clipped the outside of the post. The closing stages were for Club again. Substitute Yaremchuk was close to his first goal in the league, but Defourny denied him with an excellent save.
But it was not over yet for Defourny. He had to pick the ball out of the net a seventh time, this time beaten by his own defender Abner, who tried to clear a low Sabbe cross and inadvertently steered the ball past his own goalkeeper.
Club makes a statement by scoring seven and is now joint first in the league.
Jupiler Pro League – Match day 4
Attendance: 29,042 – Jan Breydel Stadium
Referee: Wesli De Cremer
Club Brugge: Simon Mignolet – Tajon Buchanan, Brandon Mechele, Jorne Spileers, Maxim De Cuyper (46’ Kyriani Sabbe) – Raphael Onyedika, Hugo Vetlesen (70’ Hans Vanaken), Philip Zinckernagel (70’ Denis Odoi) – Andreas Skov Olsen, Igor Thiago (70’ Roman Yaremchuk), Antonio Nusa (77’ Michal Skóras).
Bench: Nordin Jackers, Nick Shinton, Joel Ordóñez, Denis Odoi, Michal Skóras, Hans Vanaken, Kyriani Sabbe, Roman Yaremchuk, Romeo Vermant.
Coach: Ronny Deila.
RWDM: Théo Defourny – Sada Diallo (46’ Makhtar Gueye), Florian Le Joncour, William Klaus – Zakaria El Ouahdi, Pierre Dwomoh (72’ Shuto Abe), Alexis De Sart, Florent Sanchez (72’ Xavier Mercier), Abner Felipe – Rikelmi Dos Santos (46’ Niklo Dailly), Mickael Biron.
Bench: Guillaume Hubert, Shuto Abe, Makhtar Gueye, Niklo Dailly, Theo Gécé, Xavier Mercier, Djovkar Doudaev.
Coach: Cláudio Caçapa.
Yellow: Diallo
Red: none
Goals: 15’ Zinckernagel (1-0), 17’ Sanchez (1-1), 19’ Skov Olsen (2-1), 52’ Thiago (3-1), 63’ Skov Olsen (4-1), 74’ Nusa (5-1), 78’ Buchanan (6-1), 90+2’ Abner (7-1, own goal)