Jupiler Pro League
Anderlecht has done a great job in the title battle. For the first time in almost six years, the Purple & White managed to win on the pitch of Club Brugge (1-2). For the people of Bruges, a nineteenth title gradually seems like a distant dream.
There was a lot at stake today in Bruges. Provided a win, Anderlecht could already put its arch rival on 12 points. So a do or die match for Club Brugge to maintain some connection with the top of the rankings. And the people of Bruges understood that message.
Jutgla gave Club the lead after 18 minutes. Vanaken headed a deflected ball beautifully between Schmeichel and the Brussels defender, Jutgla was quick to score.
The top match went well up and down: now Anderlecht had to respond. Just before the half hour mark, Dolberg cleverly blasted the ball past Mignolet after a preparatory action by Hazard. But again the goal was disallowed. Hazard had touched the ball with his hand and was caught by the VAR.
However, that was not good for the Bruges’ peace of mind: every time Anderlecht launched an attack, there was blue-black uncertainty around the sixteen. Still, Deila and co went to rest with a lead.
Unlikely lock
The first half had not been boring, and yet: it could have been a little more after the break. They also felt the same on the field: the duels became more intense, the protests increased. In the meantime, Dolberg fired a new attempt towards the far corner: Mignolet went flat.
It always remained exciting, but while playing football the engine sputtered on both sides. And we almost didn’t see any opportunities anymore. The best went to Jutgla who shot a ball from Meijer to Vertonghen. Patris and Vazquez were thrown into the fray for Rits and Sardella for another fifteen minutes, in the hope of forcing an equalizer. And Riemer was soon proven right. Club brought disaster on itself by crawling backwards. Hazard reached the back line and scored the 1-1 on the head of Vazquez, who left Mignolet without a chance.
Club wanted to regain their footing one last time and was still looking for a winning goal. Skov Olsen and Nusa both shot at Schmeichel, Deila threw Skoras and Barbera into the fight. The great discharge finally fell on the other side.
Dreyer pushed the ball at the feet of Angulo, who stunned Jan Breydel with a neck shot: 1-2. Club is already twelve points behind Anderlecht and can see Union leading to 20 (!) units. Who dares to talk about the title now?
