Hans Vanaken scored the tying goal in injury time with a well-aimed header. But Club got no further against Union. Blauw-Zwart is still looking for its first points in the Champions' Play-Offs. For the first time in a long time, Club Brugge suffered a home defeat against Union, which again gave Hans Vanaken a sour feeling.
"Just like last week against Genk, we remain scoreless and that still feels sour. Especially because we hardly gave anything away before half-time but still we are facing that 0-1, albeit a brilliant goal by Boniface," said the two-time Golden Shoe in a first reaction. "We had most of the ball possession but unfortunately we couldn't get into their sixteen enough and create danger that way. Then when you have to chase against a savvy team like Union, you know it's going to be very difficult. Immediately after halftime we were unfortunate enough to get a second goal and we knew that we had nothing left to lose and that we had to attack. Unfortunately my connecting goal came too late."
When asked if Club is now completely a walk-on in the Champions' Play-Offs, the Limburger was clear: "You know, with the necessary luck we managed to qualify for the Champions' Play-Offs after all, but in the end we open with zero out of six, after two unnecessary defeats. We still have four games left in which we have to give everything. There can be absolutely no question of end-of-season games. We do not want to be mere extras in these play-offs, we owe this to ourselves but also to our supporters. Moreover, everyone has to show themselves towards next season. Young players get the chance to prove themselves at the highest level, while others may hope for an outgoing transfer. It's up to each of us to find our own motivation. Nobody knows what will happen in the off-season, but I assume that the board is already working hard to put together a group that will compete on all three fronts next season. Will we be ready for the preliminary rounds of the Conference League? That motivation should be there because this season a number of Belgian teams have shown that they were able to achieve good results. So it will be important to be ready from the end of July to lay the foundation for the rest of the season." (MV)