Simon Mignolet: “This is beyond words”
As always, Simon Mignolet had a sharp analysis after the chaotic ending against Antwerp. "What happened here is really crazy. I think we did enough to win this match, except for scoring more goals." The absence of a second goal for Brugge was not an ideal scenario, and the goalkeeper is well aware of it. "You always know the opponent has a chance if the ball falls their way. And that happened not once, but twice. That’s really beyond words."
"There was so much speed on Doumbia’s shot. The ball changed direction multiple times. He hit it perfectly, making it really difficult to stop. It’s especially frustrating that we ended up losing the match. That equalizer was a real uppercut. At that moment, you realize that not only might you not win the match, but you could even lose it. And that’s exactly what happened," Mignolet continued.
Mignolet is drawing motivation from the fact that they can quickly set things right in their next match. "We have to accept that we need to get back to winning mathces. Fortunately, we have many games ahead, and on Wednesday, there's another important one against Genk."
Hans Vanaken: "We deserved to take the three points home"
After a frustrating afternoon, a disappointed captain, Hans Vanaken, reflected on the match. "If you fail to score the 0-2 yourself, you always run the risk of conceding a goal, and that’s exactly what happened. We had two huge chances to score but didn’t use them. They score the equalizer with a long-range shot, and that gave them faith. Then they scored the 2-1, but ultimately, it’s our own lack of efficiency that prevented us from finishing the match earlier."
Until the final minutes, Club Brugge seemed to be in full control, playing an almost perfect game. "We were very strong in all aspects, and Antwerp had no solutions. We found the free man and created good chances. But in moments like that, you have to finish those chances to kill the game. That’s the only thing we can blame ourselves for because we actually played really well."
The match was reminiscent of last season when the Blues also left empty-handed at the end. "We deserved to take the three points home, but we got none. The same thing happened last year, but in the end, we were the ones holding the trophy. Let’s hope that’s the case again in May."
Genk now extends their lead in the ranking. "There’s no reason to panic in the league. Racing Genk is top of the ranking for the moment, but we’ve been unbeaten for so long. At some point, a loss can happen. The way it happened today was unnecessary, and that’s unfortunate, but the season is still long."
Matches will continue to come thick and fast until the end of February. "On Wednesday, we have another game where we will hopefully get a good result. Now, we just need to recover well and focus on that match," he concluded, visibly disappointed.
Nicky Hayen: “They didn’t win the match—we lost it”
Just like last season, Club Brugge conceded two late goals and suffered a last-minute defeat. The Blues played a strong game but still returned home empty-handed.
"We dominated for 85 minutes," emphasized Nicky Hayen. "We had enough chances to win the game, but we weren’t efficient enough. As long as you don’t score that second goal, you give the opponent hope. That gave them wings and made them believe they could still get something out of the match. That’s on us. They didn’t win the match—we lost it. Based on the overall game, we deserved to win. Senne Lammens is a good goalkeeper, we know that, but we simply have to finish our chances. This is obviously a tough blow, but now we just need to make sure we are 100% ready for the match on Wednesday against Genk."