Club Brugge - AZ Alkmaar: 1-2

Club Brugge failed to win the 42nd edition of the Brugse Metten. Blauw-Zwart lost 1-2 to AZ Alkmaar on their own field.

Compared to the practice match against Go Ahead Eagles, coach Ronny Deila changed his team in three places. Thus Raphael Onyedika, Jorne Spileers and Polish newcomer Michal Skoras started.

The match could not have started any better for Blauw-Zwart, which took the lead as early as the second minute when Andreas Skov Olsen punished a mistake at the back with a slide past Mathew Ryan, the former Club goalkeeper who was warmly welcomed by the Bruges supporters. The same Skov Olsen was at the gun again a few minutes later but this time the Dane saw his shot disappear into a corner kick. Club could not hold on to its lead for long, because in the ninth minute, a cross from Mees De Wit disappeared via the head of Mats Rits into their own goal.

In the same minute, the home team responded through an eager Skoras but the winger saw his shot caught in two times by Ryan. After that, AZ gradually took command and Simon Mignolet had to intervene heavily when Jesper Karlsson had an excellent opportunity. After that, the level diluted and Club's pace was too slow to outplay a compactly playing AZ.

Unlike the first half, the second half got off to a rather slow start as it wasn't until the ^53rd minute that we got our first well played attack, however, Tajon Buchanan's cross was insufficient. Soon after, high interference from Thiago yielded ball possession for Skov Olsen and Ryan had to go flat on Hans Vanaken's shot. Shortly after the hour, Deila made his first substitutions and AZ took advantage of this to score a second time, Japanese Yukinair Sugawara floored Mignolet with a crossed shot. Partly because of the many substitutions, it was not evident for Blauw-Zwart to get any line in its play.

Five minutes before the end of regular playing time Club came close to an equalizer when a header by substitute Dedryck Boyata licked the outside of the post, also a free kick by Bjorn Meijer lacked the right direction. In the end, it was still the visitors who almost managed to score a third time but Mignolet was on hand when Djordje Mihailovic hit a hard shot. A few days remain for Deila to get Club completely ready for the arrival of Danish Aarhus next Thursday. (MV)

Club Brugge: Simon Mignolet - Tajon Buchanan (65' Denis Odoi), Brandon Mechele (74' Joel Ordonez), Jorne Spileers (75' Dedryck Boyata), Maxim De Cuyper (84' Bjorn Meijer) - Raphael Onyedika (83' Casper Nielsen), Mats Rits (65' Hugo Vetlesen), Hans Vanaken - Michal Skoras (74' Romeo Vermant), Igor Thiago (65' Roman Yaremchuk), Andreas Skov Olsen (65' Shion Homma).
Bench: Nick Shinton, Kiany Vroman, Jack Hendry, Kyriani Sabbe, Cisse Sandra, Antonio Nusa, Kamal Sowah.
Coach: Ronny Deila

AZ Alkmaar: Mathew Ryan - Yukinari Sugawara (85' Denso Kasius), Pantelis Hatzidiakos, Jordy Clasie (82' Mexx Meerdink), Pavlidis Vangelis, Dani De Wit, Jesper Karlsson (60' Ruben Van Bommel), Sven Mijnans (82' Djordje Mihailovic), Ernest Poku (68' Kenzo Goudmijn), Riechedly Bazoer, Mees De Wit (61' David Moller Wolfe).
Bank: Hobie Verhulst, Tristan Kuijsten, Yusuf Barasi, Myron Van Brederode, Mayckel Lahdo.
Coach: Pascal Jansen

Goals: 3' Skov Olsen (1-0), 9' Rits (1-1, owngoal), 64' Sugawara (1-2)

Yellow cards: Thiago (42'), Bazoer (42'), Sugawara (55'), Odoi (76'), Yaremchuk (81'), Vetlesen (92'), Vanaken (94')

Stadium: Jan Breydel Stadium