Club Brugge: An Evening of Missed Opportunities Against AC Milan
Well, well, well! What do we have here? Club Brugge, looking about as efficient as a vending machine that only delivers empty promises, faced off against AC Milan and came away with a tasty 3-1 defeat. If football were a dinner party, Brugge would have arrived late and promptly knocked over the punch bowl—thanks, lads! Now, let’s dig into the thoughts of Captain Hans Vanaken, who seemed to have nailed the ‘let’s celebrate mediocrity’ vibe.
Kyriani Sabbe: The Bench Warmer’s Redemption
Next up, we have goal scorer Kyriani Sabbe whose story begins from the bench. “I think we started the match well…” he said. Spoiler alert! Starting well does not guarantee you’ll finish strong; just ask any firework that fizzles out after two seconds. After scoring a goal to temporarily brighten the mood, Sabbe couldn’t help but reflect on his struggles: “It has been mentally difficult.” Well, Kyriani, just wait until the next run of the “definitely should have scored” videos goes viral.
He did his best, coming off the bench to score. Talk about a “don’t worry guys, I got this!” moment, right after they’d already dug a hole so deep they could almost start a mining operation. But after leveling, it was back to reality as the team let in two more goals like they were giving out free samples.
Simon Mignolet: Batteries? What Batteries?
Simon Mignolet, the man between the sticks, was understandably disappointed. “After the 1-1, you felt the batteries draining,” he recounted. Let’s be honest: they weren’t just draining; they were on the brink of throwing themselves out of the window. After what can only be described as an Olympic goal from AC Milan, Mignolet faced waves of attackers while his defense had seemingly gone on holiday. Football may be a team game, but they certainly didn’t play like one this time around!
Talking about that second goal, Mignolet expertly added, “I think Maxim and I hindered each other.” Now that’s a unique excuse! You’d think they were two overly polite Brits trying to let each other pass in a hallway. But in football, if you’re hindering each other rather than the opponents, that’s just comedy gold!
Nicky Hayen: The Art of Being Clinical
And then we have Coach Nicky Hayen, who had all the enthusiasm of a kid just learning that Santa isn’t real. After a strong start, post-match, he lamented: “Same old story?” Goodness me, Nicky, at this point you might as well be writing a soap opera! You create chances but don’t finish them—sounds like a plot twist no one cares to watch.
“We were able to solve that well in the first sixty minutes,” he said, clearly holding out for a miracle like he was looking for a genie in a bottle. Still, that classic football cliché of “we have to be more clinical” oozed out like a stubborn stain on a white shirt. It’s the classic excuse, like saying “I’d go to the gym, but I just can’t find the time…”
In summary, it’s clear the Club Brugge lads need to take a look in the mirror—and preferably before the next game! If they want to make it anywhere in the Champions League, that mirror has a lot of hard truths to tell. Missed opportunities haunt them like an ex who can’t take a hint! So, what’s next? More practice, a bit of introspection, and possibly a quality finishing school—who knows? But whatever happens, let’s cheer them on and hope they can convert those chances next time. After all, football is a game of two halves; let’s make the second half count!
Hans Vanaken: Efficiency in both penalty areas remains a point of improvement.
The defeat might have turned out differently if Club had been able to capitalize on the strong first ten minutes. Captain Hans Vanaken also started the match strongly. “Our first ten minutes were really good. Of course you don’t know whether you would win if you took a chance there, but it would of course help. You have to grab those moments at this level. Of those first two chances, one actually has to go against the net and then you get a different dynamic,” he gave his account of Club’s strong start.
The red card for Onyedika of course changed the game pattern a lot. “After the 1-0 and the red card you naturally get a completely different match. We continued to believe in it, because already in the first half we noticed that there were possibilities. Kyriani Sabbe’s goal also proved that. It is a pity that we have to concede two more goals afterwards.”
It seems to be the story of the first matches of this season: creating chances and yet not scoring. “It is also the case in the competition so far: efficiency in both penalty areas. It remains an area to work on, especially if you want to win matches like this at this level.”
Kyriani Sabbe: “It has been mentally difficult”
Goal scorer Sabbe started this match on the bench and was able to prepare his analysis of the first half from there. “I think we started the match well, with good chances for Ordoñez and Tzolis. Unfortunately, the ball doesn’t go in for us and it does for them.” Even after AC Milan’s opening goal, Sabbe remained hopeful. “We stayed in the block well, but then the red card comes immediately after the opening goal and then you know it will be difficult.”
Sabbe was allowed to come on at halftime and he immediately rewarded coach Hayen’s trust with a goal. “Scoring a goal is nice. I just played my own game. Even with the deficit, I continued to fight, because we especially did not want to let the score rise with a view to a possible qualification.” The goal is certainly nice for Sabbe, but he is especially happy that he can play football again. “It has been very difficult for me mentally. My injury was a difficult period, so I am especially happy that I can now play football again. I have always continued to work hard on my return and it will happen.”
Simon Mignolet: “After the 1-1, you felt the batteries draining
Club Brugge lost 3-1 to AC Milan tonight. Despite a strong start, the home team still took the lead with a so-called Olympic goal. A visibly disappointed Mignolet looked back on the defeat in San Siro. “The ball passes over Jutgla and Vanaken. Morata also blocks Hans. It’s very difficult to defend something like that. We knew they are good on stationary phases, they also have their stature.”
Despite the setback, Blauw-Zwart straightened out. “Even with ten against eleven we went for it and scored the nice 1-1. That was very positive, but then he can bring in two or three fresh players who can make the difference and you see how strong they are in the width.” Midfielder Reijnders managed to score twice more afterwards. “I think Maxim and I hindered each other when we conceded the second goal. The images will provide a definitive answer, but I think we both go for the ball and shoot it just between the two of us. In the end it could have been even worse in terms of goals conceded, but luckily nothing more happened. The goal difference can still be important at the end.”
Onyedika was sent off with a red card. However, Blauw-Zwart tried to make something of it. “We kept fighting head on and kept going for it.” said the Blue-Black goalie. Substitute Sabbe managed to score the equalizer after a very nice attack. “After the 1-1, however, you felt the batteries draining. They can then contribute additional quality. We can be proud of how we presented ourselves, but you have to take your chances at this level. These are the steps we still have to take. It is not illogical that there is a difference between Milan and us, that is nothing to be ashamed of. We were the equal with eleven against eleven, but if you don’t take your moments, you could end up in trouble.”
Nicky Hayen: “Learning to be more clinical”
Blauw-Zwart started the confrontation with AC Milan strongly, but ultimately lost 3-1. Coach Hayen had mixed feelings afterwards.
“Same old story? I think this is the right conclusion,” the coach began his story. “We present ourselves in a very good way. We had opportunities to take the lead and it was deserved at that moment. Then Simon Mignolet first keeps us straight with Pulisic’s ball, but then a corner kick goes in in a very stupid way. Then you are behind the times again.” Onyedika received a red card shortly before half time. “I have not seen the phase again, but I heard that opinions are divided. He goes for the ball, but it is apparently a fairly serious foul. Ultimately it is something that turns the match and requires you to adjust your game plan. This worked out reasonably well until the sixtieth minute, but then they scored 2-1. Then we make the mistake for the 3-1 and then you have to try to maintain the result to prevent worse.”
After the break, coach Hayen made a double substitution. “We strengthened our midfield at that time, because with Hernández they had someone who was going to play on the inside. So the main goal was to close off the center, so that they had to go through the flanks. I think it was up to that point. 2-1 was also very good. Then you get the second goal and ten minutes later the third goal and then you feel that the batteries are empty. Then you try to change, but then you also play against a team that plays a lot has qualities. They try to lure us out of our organization and then they become very dangerous. We were able to solve that well in the first sixty minutes, but in the last half hour it was just too much.” Milan ultimately made the difference with their substitutions. “They are the best substitutions they could make and it’s as simple as that. I think the crowd wasn’t really satisfied with Leão’s substitution. However, when you see the quality they can bring in that moment, I don’t even want to speak about tactics. Then it’s just quality, speed and an individual action and that just hurt us. It has nothing to do with tactics, but purely with the quality of the opponent.”
The match turned after Pulisic’s Olympic goal and the red card for Onyedika. “To come back to that goal first, I think the intention was to overpopulate the first zone. They kicked a lot of balls there and our organization was not good there. We did not compete enough there and were not yet 100 % good on that ball. This makes it a treacherous bounce ball that Mignolet also misjudges. The ball goes in in a very stupid way and that should not happen at this level. Going back to Raphael’s card, I think it is a duel The fourth ref even came to see if it was a potential red card for them. Then we are of course surprised that we get the red card, but I haven’t seen the images yet You can speak of some bad luck, but unfortunately it turned out to our disadvantage.” Onyedika needed some mental patching up. “Firstly, we have now comforted him a bit, but secondly, we are just going to have a quiet conversation about it tomorrow. In that respect, we are also a warm club that does not drop players. We will look for solutions together, but I want not that he is going to change his game. These kinds of mistakes will have to be eliminated and we have to become smarter about that. That is not always easy to learn, because you know that he is someone who often goes into duels However, he never has the intention to hurt anyone, but unfortunately that happened today. We have to learn from that, because he is still young, of course, and that is something he has to become smarter about.”
Finally, Club’s coach evaluated the performance with a view to the future. “This match teaches me that we must continue to work in this way. It is a bit of a common thread throughout the season, also against Dortmund, for example. We present ourselves well and create many opportunities against real top clubs, also here on the road. Then we have to teach you to be more clinical. You have to finish the opportunities you get. It’s that simple and we just want to keep working in this way. On the one hand you are proud that you receive positive comments, but on the other hand you stay with zero points behind. Especially on a platform like the Champions League, the idea is that you can be more clinical and seize the moments. Unfortunately, we did not do that,” Nicky Hayen concluded.
Hans Vanaken: Efficiency? What’s That?
Captain Vanaken reflected on the match, “Our first ten minutes were really good.” Now, that’s a classic case of “what could have been” if they just knew how to finish. It’s like being at a buffet and choosing to fill up on bread rolls instead of the main course—where’s the satisfaction in that?
The red card for Onyedika was the cherry on a rather soggy cake, flipping the game on its head faster than a hotel maid changes the sheets. Vanaken noted, “We continued to believe in it, because already in the first half we noticed that there were possibilities.” But seriously, believing when you’re losing is like wishing upon a star—you might feel good, but it doesn’t change the reality! They’ve got to work on their “efficiency in both penalty areas.” Efficiency?! I’m still wondering if they brought a calculator to the pitch. Don’t worry, lads; I’m a professional. I do get paid to critique!