Out of shape upon his arrival in Belgium, Sofiane Boufal concluded a delightful week with caviar. This is the first time that the former LOSC player has managed to be decisive in the colors of Union Saint-Gilloise, his new team.
In difficulty since the start of the season, Union Saint-Gilloise is gradually regaining its colors on the other side of the Belgian border, as evidenced by its seventh place in the Jupiler League and 24th in the Europa League. The European scene… It was in an unprecedented outfit, with a team almost half of which were players who arrived at the club this summer, that the USG defeated Twente last Thursday (0-1). Slowly but surely, the new kids are making their mark, like Sofiane Boufal (31 years old). Out of shape when he arrived, he produced a copy that was as consistent as it was encouraging for the future.
“After Leuven, I know there were questions about his physical condition and his involvement. But we should not forget that he had played part of the second half when we were ten against eleven after the exclusion of Charles Vanhoutte. Against Twente, he played the match we expected of him. He played at a high level and was also interesting when he didn't have the ball.”confided Sébastien Pocognoli, coach of the Union, in comments relayed by The evening.
Patience is the mother of safety. This is an old adage meaning that patience is an essential virtue for entrepreneurship, the spirit of a collective. This has never been more true than this Sunday, during which the Belgian team took over Antwerp (2-1). Present on the field from the kick-off, Sofiane Boufal served Kevin Mac Allister's header perfectly on a free kick from the right (45+5'). He thus delivered his first assist in Belgium, after ten matches (316 minutes) played in all competitions. This goal, synonymous with an equalizer, definitively stunned the visitors who, even with numerical superiority, let victory slip through their fingers (Sykes, 69′) during the second act.
The machine named Sofiane Boufal, the one who made LOSC supporters dream from 2015 to 2016 with 15 goals and 10 assists, may finally be launched. As a reminder, he joined Union Saint-Gilloise free this summer from Al-Rayyan in Qatar.
