On matchday 26 of the Jupiler Pro League, Club Brugge traveled to Stayen to take on STVV. After ten minutes, the home side took the lead through Lamkel Zé and another ten minutes later Lapoussin doubled the score. In the second half, Vanaken halved the deficit before Tzolis earned us a point with a stoppage-time curling effort in the top corner.
Last Wednesday Blauw-Zwart experienced another memorable European night by beating Atalanta 2-1 at Jan Breydel. For the tricky game at Stayen, coach Hayen made only two changes to Wednesday's line-up. Onyedika and Tzolis were given some rest. The duo was replaced by Vetlesen and Jutglà. The latter played from the left-hand side.
Club started the game lively with a first half-chance for Jutglà in the opening minutes. The Catalan latched onto a through ball and fired it goalwards with his left foot, but Kokubo tipped it around the goalpost for a corner kick. Ten minutes into the game the hosts opened the scoring with their first glance at goal. Bertaccini sent Lamkel Zé running on the left-hand side and he surprised everyone by drilling it in from an unbelievable angle, while everyone was expecting a cross. Club responded through Talbi who's cross reached De Cuyper, but his header was palmed away by Kokubo.
It was end to end now and Lamkel Zé was close to another goal when he got a touch on Brahimi's cross, but the ball trickled wide. But on twenty minutes Mignolet was beaten a second time. This time Lapoussin was lurking at the back post when Brahimi picked him out and the Frenchman made no mistake. One minute later Jashari tried to pull one back with a brilliant strike from outside the penalty area, but Kokubo palmed it away.
Club were pushing for a goal now. A sharp cross ended up with Talbi at the far post and the youngster tried to bring the ball back in front of goal, but Kokubo reacted quickly to come of his line and pluck it out of the air. With ten minutes on the clock Vanaken played the ball behind the hosts' defencive line, into the feet of Jutglà. The striker tried to round Kokubo, but the Japanese tapped the ball out of his feet ... into the path of Nilsson. The Swede was surprised and rushed his shot, so it flew over the crossbar. Club headed towards the dressing room trailing by two goals.
Coach Hayen made a triple substitution at half-time: Seys, Vetlesen and Nilsson stayed behind and were replaced by Siquet, Onyedika and Tzolis. That quickly resulted in a first effort by Onyedika, but that was blocked by a defender.
Ten minutes into the second half Talbi tried his luck again when he cut inside from the right, but his left-footed arrowed shot went just past the far post. Club pushed on but Vanaken's header was fisted away by Kokubo, Onyedika saw his strike go wide and Vanwesemael cleared Vanaken's effort on the goalline. At the other side of the pitch Bertaccini's long-distance strike was no problem for Mignolet.
With twenty minutes on the clock Club was finally rewarded with a goal. When Jutglà received De Cuyper's clipped cross, the Catalan then saw his shot blocked. The ball deviated into the path of Vanaken and the captain's low drive from outside the area went past Kokubo: 2-1! This boosted Club's confidence. Shortly after Tzolis went past his defender and fired the ball into the side-netting. But that was it for Club as STVV organised themselves, not allowing Club to create a lot of clear-cut chances.
We were already in stoppage time when Tzolis received the ball inside the penalty area, cut to his right foot and blasted it into the top far corner. Club then tried to get all three points out of the game, but that final goal didn't come. Just the one point for Club tonight.
On Tuesday Atalanta hosts Club in the return game of the Champions League knockout phase play-off.
Jupiler Pro League – Matchday 26
Attendance: 14.600 – Stayen
Referee: Simon Bourdeaud’hui
Sint-Truidense VV: Leo Kokubo – Robert-Jan Vanwesemael, Zineddine Belaid, Wolke Janssens, Ryoya Ogawa – Ryotaro Ito (87’ Andrés Ferrari), Joel Chima Fujita, Loïc Lapoussin (82’ Louis Patris) – Billal Brahimi (77’ Simen Juklerød), Adriano Bertaccini, Didier Lamkel Zé (87’ Rihito Yamamoto).
Bench: Jo Coppens, Rihito Yamamoto, Andrés Ferrari, Olivier Dumont, Simen Juklerød, Louis Patris, Visar Musliu, Jay-David Mbalanda, Hiiro Komori.
Coach: Felice Mazzù.
Club Brugge: Simon Mignolet – Joaquin Seys (46’ Hugo Siquet), Joel Ordóñez, Brandon Mechele, Maxim De Cuyper – Hugo Vetlesen (46’ Raphael Onyedika), Ardon Jashari (61’ Romeo Vermant), Hans Vanaken – Chemsdine Talbi (85’ Shandre Campbell), Gustaf Nilsson (46’ Christos Tzolis), Ferran Jutglà.
Bench: Nordin Jackers, Axl De Corte, Zaid Romero, Kyriani Sabbe, Hugo Siquet, Jorne Spileers, Raphael Onyedika, Casper Nielsen, Christos Tzolis, Shandre Campbell, Romeo Vermant.
Coach: Nicky Hayen.
Yellow cards: Vetlesen, Lamkel Zé, Bertaccini, Vermant
Red cards: none
Goals: 10’ Lamkel Zé (1-0), 20’ Lapoussin (2-0), 72’ Vanaken (2-1), 90+1’ Tzolis (2-2)