Antwerp failed to defend its Belgian Cup title after its 1-0 defeat against Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday in the final at the King Baudouin stadium. A disappointment for Toby Alderweireld, the captain of the Great Old.
“It’s very difficult, very painful, to lose in the final and in this way, in a set phase, because we worked so hard for this match,” Alderweireld told Sporza. “The Union defended very well but we lacked a bit of luck and quality in the last move. Jurgen Ekkelenkamp notably had a great opportunity to equalize. It hasn’t worked out for us in recent weeks, which is a shame. »
Antwerp will therefore end its season without any trophy, number 1 being dropped in the championship. The Antwerp captain, however, does not want to talk about a failed season. “I can’t fault this group much. It’s a shame to end a season without a trophy, especially since we won the double last season. Disappointments are also part of football. We must remember the positives and try to get as many victories as possible in our last three league matches. We will try again next year. »
The pain is even stronger after knowing victory
From the ecstasy of victory last year, Antwerp moved to the pain of defeat in the Belgian Cup final. “When you know how beautiful victory is, this pain is all the stronger. Last year, the Union had to go through this ordeal in the championship. Today, it is us who are suffering it,” lamented Van Bommel.
“It wasn’t a great match,” analyzed the coach after a closed and tense meeting. “They took the advantage on a play”, when a corner fortunately landed at the feet of Kiko Machida from a corner. “But the Union didn’t do much with the ball we gave them. Bowing under such circumstances hurts. »
For striker Vincent Janssen, “the goal was a good one for the Union”, but the Brussels residents “were at their best, solid in defense and good in transition. »
Both Janssen and Van Bommel refuse to end the season on a sour note. “There is nothing else to do but to give our all for the last three championship matches,” resigned the coach, who does not consider this season a failure. “We are Antwerp, not Chelsea or Real Madrid. Last year we won everything. It is almost impossible to achieve this again. »
“No one will tell me we had a bad season. A lot of teams would have liked to be in our position. Who would have bet on three trophies in two years when I signed here,” he concluded.
