The Mixed Zone saw nothing but happy Club faces as Club went past Genk on Match Day 3.
Simon Mignolet: "Chasing in the table means you need to grab those points"
An uneventful night for Simon Mignolet against Genk, focused to keep Genk at bay should that one chance come. "Games in which you don't get to see the ball are never nice, but we played a good game. We managed to find the space, applying great pressure. I'm happy with how the game went, but we really should have scored earlier on. Unfortunately we didn't, but in the end there's that penalyt, and we pushed it wide open."
Mignolet comes with tons of experience, so who better to ask whether this will come as a mental blow to the visitors. "I can't see in their heads, obviously, so I don't know whether this will come as a blow to them. What I do know is that we did what was asked of us today. As we have been doing throughout these Play-offs. It's the right path to follow, and we have to keep going like this." With 9 out of 9 Club joins Union as the best team in these Champions Play-offs, serving some outstanding football. "It's not a matter of playing fine football, we need those points. We play our best game when we attack, but it doesn't really count, we just need to grab those points."
There's no clear reason as to why it took so long to score that opener. "Those few tactical changes in their line-up had us searching for a way to play them at first. So it was a tactical affair in the first half. But we just played really well in the second half. Then there was that penalty kick and that's crucial."
Simon Mignolet is very aware of the fact that Club still has to make up some headway in order to get past Genk. "We're behind, we are chasing them, so you need those points. It's a good thing we won. You never know it might fall to them at one point and they come out on top. Fortunately that wasn't the case. I'm happy we created that penalty situation and managed to finish it."
Nicky Hayen: “One points behind or four, it's a huge difference”
A last-gasp spot kick sent a reeling Jan Breydel to oblivion. Coach Nicky Hayen was happy with his team's performance.
“In the first twenty minutes, they had the better of the game. We paid them too much respect at first. But after some time, things started going better, and we really set thing straight at half time. Our second half was really good, with enormous pressure, high circulation and a lot of chances. Our build-up was different too. No different in the first half, but we just didn't execute things well enough then. We tried bringing a bit more dynamics to the table in bringing on Vermant and Skóraś at the end, and it panned out, as Skóraś immediately set up Tzolis to head it over, and a bit later on he was also involved in that penalty situation. That one went in with a bit of luck, but we merited this win. It doesn't matter how you score, as long as you do. This has been a crucial win; one point down or four, it's a huge difference. But we won't be pumping our chests. We just want to get closer step by step. We are still trailing one point, so we still need to outdo them. But this has been a vital win, so it's only logical to see everyone so happy right now.”
Maxim De Cuyper: “Most important moment of my career”
In cauda venenum: Maxim De Cuyper took up his responsibility as he chased the winner from the spot past Penders to help Club to a pivotal home win against KRC Genk.
“This might have been the most important moment of my career“, Club's left back started out. “There was some pressure, but that's what we live for, don't we. It's the kind of moments you look forward to at training, and fortunately it went in, as I have to admit that it hadn't been taken perfectly. We hadn't debated who would be taking it beforehand, and today Vanaken handed it to me. It came with some stress obviously, but I had a corner in my mind, and fortunately it went in, even though Penders came so close.”
“I do believe we deserved this win today. Genk was somewhat in control in the first half, but even then we had some chances. At half time, the focus was to try and stay clear from forcing things and to keep a steady mind no matter how the second half went. It's a very important 1-0 win, of course, but there's still seven games to go, so it's all to play for. The gap is now down to one, but the situation still remains about the same, which is that Genk is still in the lead, even if there are now three teams within a small margin, so it's definitely exciting at the top of the table."
Brandon Mechele: “Stoked with those three points”
Genk had trouble creating chances against a sturdy Club defense, which also played its part in establishing that win. Brandon Mechele saw a fine team performance against the league leaders.
“I reckon the two best teams in Belgium made it a great game, in balance in the first half, but we really took the high ground in the second half, getting so close to scoring a number of times. Unfortunately it didn't go in, but nevertheless I believe this is a deserved win. On a tactical front, we knew how they would be playing, even if we had trouble pinning them down in the opening fifteen minutes, but they didn't really surprise us for the rest of the game. We know what they are capable of, and we also knew that it could come down to details, and that's how it went. I couldn't make it to watch as De Cuyper took that penalty, but I heard and saw our fans so I knew it had gone in. That was a fantastic moment, particularly as it came so close to the final whistle. We did what was asked of us, and now we head towards the next games in full confidence.”