After the game at Antwerp we asked Ronny Deila, Simon Mignolet and Brandon Mechele for a first reaction.
Ronny Deila: “Unbelievable that we are going home empty-handedly”
The midweek game against Kortrijk already gave Club a seriouos headache, but the clash with Antwerp turned out a true nightmare: two goals by the very end of the game and some frightening injuries.
“It was a really strange game. I just cannot believe we go home empty-handedly. We definitely deserved that one point, maybe even three. We played very well in the first half, even if we didn't create too many chances. We again created chances in the second half, wand were dominant, but thanks to two incredible shots we get defeated. I'm also frustrated by that tackle of Zinckernagel. Janssen had already been booked, so that should have been a second yellow for him. In the first half, Hugo Vetlesen's booking was debatable, but when a foul like that occurs, it's not even a yellow. I'm very disappointed. We did a lot of fine things too, we should remember that. We now need to gear up towards Wednesday. We will have to wait and see just how serious the injuries are. De Cuyper's in the hospital right now to check for a neck injury. Zinckernagel's also there, to receive stitches. And Hugo Vetlesen was out with a groin injury at half time.” (SF)
Simon Mignolet: “I should always save that ball”
What looked like a well-earned win for Club for quite some time, ended in a nightmarish last minute defeat. The free kick resulting in Antwerp's second made Simon Mignolet reflect upon his performance.
“It goes without saying that we are very disheartened. I reckon we put in another fiine performance, deservedly took the lead in the second half with great timing. After that, we opted to defend that 0-1, but out of nothing Antwerp scored a really great goal, and by the end they repeated that trick through a free kick. Things like that just cannot happen, and now we go back carrying no points, which is totally undeserved.”
“In all fairness, I really should have saved that second one. I wasn't entirely ready when it was taken, but even then. I may have reacted a bit too late because of the position I was in. They also played it really fast, but nonetheless, that ball should have been mine. The bitter 2-1 defeat makes this a really disturbing week for us, with only one point out of six, where it really should have been four or even six. And that just feels really bad. But that's football, and we deserve better, but there's another clash awaiting us on Wednesday. We have to brush ourselves off by then.” (FDC)
Brandon Mechele: “Not rewarded“
A dramatic turn of events in Deurne resulted in a defeat for Club Brugge. A downcast Brandon Mechele addressed the press afterwards.
“You can hardly imagine, but just like on Tuesday this is such a blow. Even if we fell back a bit, we were still in full control of the game, hardly handing out any chances. The fact that once again we don't get what we deserve is a bitter pill to take. That equaliser was an impressive shot, but try as he may, he won't be able to repeat that. But unfortunately for us, it did go in today. And that 2-1 came after the ball took a nasty bump just before Simon could get a hand to it. But it's also fair to say that that foul preceding the free kick should never have been committed.”
When asked whether the unfortunate injury yof De Cuyper took the team out of its focus, Mechele was clear. "It's obvious that we were setback, but I do believe the focus within our team was still okay. The reason why we started playing three in defense, was that Alderweireld started playing upfront, so we played one on one in the back. But unfortunately it didn't pay off.” (MV)