Hans Vanaken: "Genk's loss gave us an extra boost"

Hans Vanaken converted the penalty that secured the three points for Club. Blue-Black could not capitalize on the many opportunities beforehand however, the Golden Boot-winner ultimately crowned himself as the match winner👑.

"It should have been decided earlier. In the first half, we had a lot of possession, but the pace wasn't high enough. We were playing against a team that was sitting deep in a block. You need to score quickly to make it easy for yourself. We tried to force openings, but it was a matter of time until the ball landed right. There were a number of chances where we could have been 2-0 up. But as long as it remains 0-0, they believe in a positive outcome. In the second half, the pace was much higher. We took the lead and then it was just holding on to it. The last quarter of the match you could also saw us falling back a bit."

Club is now just six points behind the leader. "Before we entered the field, we knew we could close the gap to six points. That was already an extra motivation to win. But we mainly need to focus on our own matches and then see what Genk does. We have narrowed the gap, and that was also the goal a few weeks back when they were eleven points ahead. For us, this is good. It gives us confidence. Genk has dominated the competition for a long time, but now they are in a period where they are dropping points. We can now take advantage of that."

The level of Club is clearly on the rise. "In the recent games, we've been applying a lot of pressure and playing forward. Having possession also gives the defenders some breathing space and rest. Just put pressure and get the crowd involved. With all that combined, you create a pace that's fantastic in the league. Then, it's great to win today against STVV, a strong team with a solid block that rightly will be in Play-off 1. Now, we need to go to Eupen. That's always a difficult trip, so it's important to handle it well there." 

(KN)