Despite an electric atmosphere, the start of the meeting was quite closed although muscular. Mark van Bommel had dictated to his men to form a compact block, with a five-man defense losing the ball. Antwerp resolved to resist Union attacks and then clear the ball away, hoping to see Kerk or Janssen take advantage.
For its part, Union Saint-Gilloise offered a more constructed game, with phases built around the opposing rectangle. The Antwerp structure resisted the Unionist attempts well, however, and the first opportunity was to Antwerp’s advantage with a counter-attack which resulted in a shot from Keita above the target (13th).
In a harmless action, Ekkelenkamp was even able to take a shot which hit Moris’ post (22nd). Antwerp’s first attacks freed up some space. Amoura rushed in on the counter but was stopped by a tackle from Wijndal (27th).
The game slowed down again, but the Union managed to break the deadlock from a set point. A corner from Castro-Montes was unintentionally deflected by Van Den Bosch, and Machida only had to push the ball into the back of the net, from close range (1-0, 45th+1).
In the second half, Antwerp came back with new intentions. The game was interrupted several minutes after Antwerp supporters threw pyrotechnic devices onto the field, before Kerk had an opportunity on a counter (53rd). Well launched by Janssen, the winger nevertheless got confused in the finishing zone.
Freed from some of his defensive tasks, Balikwisha managed to express himself on his right flank. One of his breakthroughs ended with a strike on the roof of the goal (69th), while Union Saint-Gilloise benefited from unprecedented spaces in the match. Lapoussin overflowed and placed a cross into the box on Nilsson’s head, but the attacker was unable to adjust in the frame (73rd).
After a triple change, Antwerp threw its forces into battle. A confusing situation caused panic in the Union defense (80th), but Janssen’s try was blocked. Alderweireld attempted an acrobatic recovery, difficult to adjust (83rd).
In the final minutes, the match became disjointed. The Union could have killed the match when Lammen intervened in front of Puertas who had just tumbled down the right (89th). Amoura himself missed the target, while facing the Antwerp goalkeeper (90th + 4). The score did not change again until the final whistle, which caused ecstasy among the people of Brussels.
This is the first trophy for Union Saint-Gilloise since 1935, when the club won its 11th and last Belgian championship title. In the Belgian Cup, the Unionists had triumphed twice, in 1913 and 1914, 110 years ago.
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