For all of their work since Felice Mazzù brought the club back to D1A, this trophy is more than deserved. This is what the Belgian press unanimously said this Friday morning.
In our columns, as well as in those of La Libre Belgique and L’Avenir, we talk about the glass ceiling that Machida broke by scoring the only goal of the match in stoppage time in the first half. “The Moris generation won a title they deserved. […] The Saint-Gillois won a final which allows them to add a line to a list which deserved something other than “champion of D2” and “champion of D3” in the 21st century section. Football isn’t really about merit, but this title is. It rewards a very good campaign where the Yellow and Blue defeated Anderlecht in the quarter-finals and Bruges in the semi-finals. Above all, it crowns three years at the forefront of Belgian football from a team which has refreshed our elite, since its return to D1, even if it missed the bottom two seasons in a row. we write.
Among our colleagues at -, we talk about “a Union strike”: “A first Belgian Cup since 1914, a ticket for the Europa League play-offs and enormous pressure which dissipates before Monday’s crucial trip to Bruges. Thanks to a goal from Machida, the Unionists scored a strike at the Roi Baudouin stadium,” write our colleagues.
Union Saint-Gilloise can savor its victory in the Cup final: “When we look in the rearview mirror, it’s quite exceptional”
“Heysel cries with happiness”
In the north of the country, the Nieuwsblad considers the Union as a “separate and unique” club. “Who didn’t want the Union to win this Cup?”, asks the Flemish media: “For almost a century, supporters of the club, which became eleven times champion between 1904 and 1935, looked with envy at Anderlecht’s success. Even its neighbor RWDM won a national title during this period. For too long, the once most successful club in the country has had a place only as a modest supplement. Until Thursday May 8, a day which will remain written in capital letters in the history of the authentic stronghold of football. A merit of the community, of strength and continuous control over events. Thanks to an authentic coach Alexandre Blessin, plagued by private setbacks, who perfectly managed to strike the right chord with the players,” continue our colleagues who argue that the Union must now focus on the championship title, its new objective.
“The Heysel turned yellow-blue and the Union cried with happiness” headlines Het Laatste Nieuws. Our colleagues write in their columns that Koki Machida’s goal was enough in a meeting which will not be remembered as “the most beautiful of all time”. However, the newspaper remembers one thing: this title is deserved: “After two missed titles, the Union finally won the prize it so desired with the Croky Cup. A reward for all the good work done in recent years, on and especially off the field. But it doesn’t have to stop there. We all saw last season what the Cup can do to a team…”
Anthony Moris silenced critics to finally lift the Cup
”A lack of ingenuity in the two rectangles”
Finally, in the Gazet Van Antwerpen, we focus on the defeat of Antwerp: “he cup final gave rise to a summary of the season. Lots of good will and after the break also a desire to move forward, but a lack of ingenuity in the two rectangles.” […] Antwerp failed to achieve its goal for the first time. And that’s no shame, against a team that is in contention for the league title. A cherry was missing on the cake to crown two unforgettable Antwerp seasons.”
Union Saint-Gilloise wins the Belgian Cup: what consequences for European tickets?
