After a good first half with the best chances for Club NXT U23, our youngsters still went head-to-head during the second half against a more experienced Zulte-Waregem. Goals by Gavriel and Vossen gave them a 0-2 lead. For Club NXT, Lenn De Smet scored the 1-2. But an unfortunate owngoal made it 1-3, an exaggerated final result.
Coach Hayen could count on a lot of players returning from injury or gaining match rhythm. Talbi, Sabbe and Barbera, together with Homma and Yameogo, started the game. Salah started on the bench. Goalkeeper Bursik remained in the starting lineup. At Zulte -Waregem, we saw many ex-Club Brugge players: Vossen and Tanghe started in the base, Vormer took a place on the bench together with Van Damme.
The visitors put Club NXT under continuous pressure from the start, but without really forcing any significant chances. Vossen headed a long ball towards Traoré, but Bursik got out in time and headed the ball away. After that, a few more attempts by the very industrious Traoré posed little danger. The best chance was for Club NXT. Granados sent Talbi towards goal where he stood one-on-one with goalkeeper De Wolf. Talbi smoothly passed the visiting goallie, but he ended up kicking at the post from an acute angle. Blue-Black finally got into the match. Barbera went past Zulte-Waregem's defense and netted a corner kick. A shot by Liam De Smet was saved by goalkeeper De Wolf. After more than half an hour of play, Talbi again created a threat. He got the ball on the edge of the penalty area, played it in, but his shot was too central and De Wolf took it easily. Except for a distance shot by Brüls, the Club NXT defense held up well until halftime.
At the start of the second half, Homma was replaced by Lenn De Smet. Zulte-Waregem started very intense and quickly went in search of the opening goal. It succeeded. First a header failed, but on a subsequent attempt Gavriel netted the 0-1. Afterwards, he narrowly missed the 0-2. Club NXT responded with a quick counterattack, with Granados kicking the ball into the roof of the goal.
Jelle Vossen showed himself increasingly emphatic. He tried to lob the ball over goalkeeper Bursik completely free, but our goallie was able to catch the leather. Vossen was then cleverly found by Brüls, and popped towards goal from inside the sixteen. Bursik went down well and prevented the 0-2.
Salah and Faraas came into the team for Goemaere and Talbi. Salah was out for more than three months! The match remained very exciting. First, Lenn De Smet had a chance to equalize by going into the far corner, but goalkeeper De Wolf could just reach it. Afterwards, Vossen headed a ball narrowly wide of the post. Again on a stoppage time, Club NXT then swallowed the 0-2. It was Vossen who was free to head in at the second post. Shortly afterwards Lenn De Smet mitigated. He put himself through and again looked for the far corner. This time goalkeeper De Wolf had no chance. With a few minutes left on the clock, things could still get exciting. Unfortunately, it immediately became 1-3 when a ball deflected off Sabbe's leg. Again Club NXT scored an own goal. Yet our youngsters did not give up and immediately went in search of another tying goal. Unfortunately, they were unable to do so. It was substitute Machado who hit the post. Thus, the score remained at 1-3. Losing to Zulte-Waregem, which has title ambitions, is no disgrace. But next week we need to get some points in the other derby against KV Oostende. The match is next Saturday at 8 p.m. Supporters come with as many as possible to support Club NXT.
Club NXT U23: Joe Bursik, Joaquin Seys, Amine Et-Taïbi, Bi Kader Yameogo, Kyriani Sabbe, Liam De Smet, Laurens Goemaere (60' Mohamed Salah), Shion Homma (46' Lenn De Smet), Alejandro Granados (72' Kaye Furo), Chemsdine Talbi (60' Benjamin Faraas), Victor Barbera. Bench: Axl De Corte, Jano Willems, William Simba, Sem Audoor, Bruce Deuwel, Henri Maton. Coach: Nicky Hayen.
Zulte-Waregem: Ortwin De Wolf, Lukas Willen, Rubin Seghers, Anton Tanghe, Alessandro Ciranni, Abdoulaye Traore (90+2' Alioune Ndour), Tochukwu Nnadi (90+2' Kevor Palumets), Modou Tambedou, Christian Brüls, Jelle Vossen, Stavros Gavriel (73' Matheus Machado). Bank: Sef Van Damme, Arnaud Dobbels, Robbe Decostere, Ruud Vormer, Joel Bagan, Dylan Demuynck. Coach: Jonathan Silva de Oliveira Alves.
Goals: 49' Gavriel 0-1, 80' Vossen 0-2, 84' Lenn De Smet 1-2, 85' Sabbe (own) 1-3.
Yellow cards: 11' Sabbe, 72' Granados.
Referee: Arne De Beuckelaer.
Stadium: The Nest Roeselare.
Spectators: 1934.
