Simon Mignolet: "We cannot afford to lose points like this"
It is disappointing to lose points. We controlled the match and took the lead in the first hour of the game. Tzoles then got a red card, and we were down to ten men, which changed the course of the match. After that, there were several debatable situations that did not turn out in our favour. We mainly need to look at ourselves and ensure we do not lose points in this way.
Ardon Jashari: “Sharpness was lacking“
A few days after the impressive win in Bergamo, Club Brugge suffered a 1-2 home defeat against the Rouches, led by former coach Ivan Leko. Ardon Jashari could barely hide his disappointment afterwards: “This is obviously not the scenario we had hoped for. We tried to apply immediate pressure, but Standard played very defensively, making it tough for us to find space. Did the referee favor Standard today? I haven’t seen the incident yet, but I heard there was definite contact in the penalty area. Instead, Christos received a first yellow card, which was likely a key turning point in the match. The referee must ensure balance on the field, and I don’t think that was the case today. Nevertheless, we cannot place all the blame on the referee because our level today was simply not good enough to beat Standard. Especially after the red card, we lacked freshness and sharpness. The series of matches is definitely taking its toll on us. Maybe we deserved more, but today, it just wasn’t meant to be.”
When asked about the fact that Genk could further extend their lead, the Swiss player responded: “We must focus on ourselves and try to win every match. There are still three games left in the regular season, and we simply have to try to win them. After that, the goal is to prepare ourselves for the playoffs.”
Hans Vanaken: "It was a bitter afternoon"
Playing with a man down is always frustrating. We took the lead, which is crucial against Standard. But after the red card, we had to defend too much, which kept us under pressure. Then we conceded that bitter goal. It was a frustrating afternoon, with the penalty and the soft yellow cards.
Nicky Hayen: “Too slow in the first half"
After the defeat against Standard, Nicky Hayen did not hide his disappointment. “We played too slowly in the first half. Ivan set up a well-organized team: a compact block with the lines close together, making it hard to break through. In such situations, you need to switch play quickly and bypass certain phases, but we didn’t do that. We controlled the game but created too few chances. After halftime, we played with more intensity and moved the ball faster. We also took the lead, but the red card for Tzolis was the turning point. When you're down to ten men, you have to keep playing football, but we resorted too much to long balls and physical duels. That was exactly what they wanted. Over the past few weeks, we spent so much energy, and today we were just slightly short of what was needed. We always try to keep everyone fit and fresh, but you don’t always find the perfect solution to maintain sharpness at 100%. When you go down to ten men after a midweek match where you gave everything, you know it will be difficult.”
There was also a lot of frustration after the match regarding some decisions of the Man in Black. “You have to try to put those frustrations behind you. Afterwards, you can’t change anything anyway. The penalty awarded against us was one that could be given. However, in Tzolis' case, the second yellow card was justified, but the first one wasn’t. It was not a dive. Too many moments where whistled against us, which leads to frustration. The game was constantly interrupted, preventing us from finding our rhythm.”