Maxim De Cuyper: “Deserved victory”
It had been since the city derby against Cercle Brugge that Club Brugge had been able to win a home game again. And against arch-rival Anderlecht, the national champion managed to keep the three points at home, although Maxim De Cuyper had to clear a ball in front of the line in the absolute final phase: “It is incredible that we almost got that one in the last minute. equalizer, but fortunately I was just in time to avert the danger before the goal line. After the 2-1 you just know that they will always get another chance, but in fact the match should have been played a long time ago,” said the Bruges left back in an initial response. “A possible equalizer would not have been deserved at all because we played a very tough match today. Only once again we fail to score more and end the match much earlier. We were in control all the time and especially in the first half we didn’t give anything away and we completely controlled the game. From the opening minute we put a lot of pressure and that gave us the lead very early. I don’t think there is anything to criticize about our performance other than efficiency, it was very good today. This victory is completely deserved.” (MV)
Ardon JashariI: “I feel good here”
Deep into the added time, Ardon Jashari was brought off to the side to a standing ovation, which clearly pleased the young Swiss international: “I cannot deny that the appreciation from the supporters makes me happy, especially because I initially had the necessary time to adapt to a new environment and way of playing,” the midfielder opened his story. “I was well received, I get a lot of confidence from the technical staff and the other players and I feel good here, but ultimately you have to try to earn that starting place during training yourself. The competition is not bad, but with few words off the field I try to prove myself mainly on the field.”
Jashari also had a clear view about the match itself: “We had prepared ourselves well for this match and we showed a lot of quality within our team, both with and especially without the ball. We played a great match and if we can always reach such a level, then we will be really difficult to beat. Although it is undeniable that we need to score more and so we must continue to work on our efficiency. If we win 4-0 today, no one can call that final score exaggerated. I also tried to score twice myself, but for now I am still waiting for a very first goal for my new employer and fans, I want to make them proud” (MV)
Simon Mignolet: “Taking chances is the story of the season”
Being dominant and still shivering and shaking at the end. An analysis that Simon Mignolet agreed with.
“I think we deserved to win this top competition, but we have to make it a little easier for ourselves. I think we played a very dominant game with a lot of chances. We had to wait a little too long for that redeeming second goal and we have to play it a little smarter. Anderlecht then makes it 2-1 at the very end and then you know that they are going to throw all the balls into the box and just at such a stage we get one in and then it is still shaking until after the final whistle. Fortunately it remained 2-1 and we eventually got what we deserved, namely the three points.”
“Taking chances is actually the story of the entire season. We have to keep working like today, keep playing collectively and then there will come a time when we will take those chances. The six out of six is good and especially this one from just now against the so-called arch enemy is something that we know what it means for our supporters and I think that is why they had a nice afternoon. And the fact that it was our youngest players who scored today is nice, but they are also doing their utmost in defense and that is of course nice to see that they are continuing to grow, something that Club can only make stronger.” (FDC )
Romeo Vermant: “A dream that comes true”
How would you feel if you scored for the first team for the first time, against Anderlecht? That happened to Romeo Vermant this afternoon.
“I am convinced that I am currently the happiest man walking around here at that moment,” were the first words of the youngster from Bruges. “This was the moment I had been waiting for for a long time. To score here against Jan Breydel and against Anderlecht is a dream come true. I couldn’t actually choose a better moment, which is why I reacted quite emotionally. All that effort, all that hardship and all that training… that goal makes up for everything. My dad (Sevn Vermant) also scored a few times against Anderlecht, so that makes it all the more special that I was able to do that too, of course. Last night we said that it should work out and lo and behold… it happened. I hope that the spell is now broken and that I can score some more in the future. Despite our dominance, we still got into trouble at the end and that obviously shouldn’t happen. We played a very good match, but we keep forgetting to reward ourselves by closing the match by scoring several goals. This is and will remain a point of improvement.” (FDC)
Nicky Hayen: “Very proud of the Club’s youth work”
Nicky Hayen saw his team take a deserved three-pointer against Anderlecht, although Blauw-Zwart got away well in the final phase. “It was a very good game from us. We wanted to make them immediately feel that we did not want them to come into the match. After all, they have a team with players who can make an individual difference. That worked well, we created a lot of chances and should have been more than 1-0 ahead at half time. During half time we said to continue in the same way. Unfortunately, Tzolis’ second goal was disallowed, but the players picked it up well. In the end we scored that second goal, but instead of 3-0 it still became exciting. It would have been very sad and undeserved to still lose points here, but it is clear that you have to reward yourself more here. I am very happy with the way we played. The final phase leaves a bit of a sour aftertaste, but that should certainly not make you forget all the good things. It has happened before that you give away a goal and still get into trouble. So we have to keep working on that.”
The Bruges coach preferred Romeo Vermant in the center of the striker and he was not at all disappointed. The young attacker played a hell of a game and scored his very first goal for Blauw-Zwart. “Romeo has a lot of dynamics in his playing. That first goal was no coincidence either. We always try to press high and Simić didn’t expect that, so we were able to take advantage. Romeo has grown enormously as a striker over the years. He has become much more ball-resistant and combines this with good finishing. All praise also for the youngsters. Vermant and Talbi were both able to score and the other youngsters also played very well. I am very proud of the Club’s youth work.” (SF)
