A sturdy opponent for sure, but Club Brugge managed to keep off Charleroi anyway at its home turf. Ronny Deila was witness to how his team pulled all the plugs to make sure the win went the hosts' way.
“A tough game for us today", Deila started out. "We started out poorly, which was disappointing. After that we found our way into the game, and deservedly scored that equaliser. After that, things went quiet again and we conceded another goal. Fortunately we managed to draw level before half-time. After the break we pushed on, but they also had their fair share of chances. Fortunately we could count on an impressive Simon Mignolet today. In the end, it's the substitutes that created the difference, but kudos go out to the entire team. It was important not to fall apart after we trailed, and that we kept doing what we were supposed to dao. We had a plan B, and a plan C, and that's what did it for us. We played some great football in periods of the game, but we also had spells in which we had too much ball loss. When you put high pressure, you are bound to give away some space too. We weren't well organised either, allowing them to create chances. On the other hand, we did succeed in controlling the majority of the game.”
None other than Antonio Nusa finally made sure the game went Club's way. Ever since his debut with the Norwegian national team, the 18-year old has been a wordlwide hype, but accordingg to Deila Nusa keeps both feet firmly on the ground. “There's so much I could say about him. We weren't too sure of adding him to the selection, as he was really knackered after those two games with Norway. But in the end he proved capable of playing, even creating the difference today. He's a fantastic kid, down to earth and very eager to learn. I saw how he has now become Norwegian football's new prince after Haaland. But it will be up to him to prove his mettle here. When he can do that one step at a time, he's bound to have a great future ahead.” (SF)