Minute 74 turned out to be crucial in Club Brugge-Genk. Simon Mignolet dived to the right corner during a Tolu penalty and clamped the ball. Remarkable: Mignolet had warned his opponent. “Don’t shoot in the middle, I said.”
It was actually the only ball Mignolet had to take against Genk, but it turned out to be a very important one. Tolu aimed his penalty straight into the arms of the Bruges goalkeeper. He dived well to the right corner and kept Club in the match.
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“I still do it every day for this,” Mignolet grinned. “You feel that the stadium exploded and everyone got behind it again. It is wonderful that we can ultimately win that match. I think our victory was simply deserved.”
Striking: Mignolet entered into a psychological duel with Tolu. When the VAR started to investigate the penalty error in detail, the goalkeeper started chatting with his opponent Tolu. “That was to my advantage,” says Mignolet. “I told him: don’t shoot in the middle, because I’m just going to stand there. So he had to choose a corner. Good thing he finally followed my advice (laughs). There were several options at Genk: Steuckers could also kick. We had analyzed everything in advance.”
Club is closing in on the leader and has now remained unbeaten for twelve games. The Bruges engine reaches full speed just before New Year. “We are in a good period, but the more matches you win, the closer you get to that first defeat,” Mignolet warns. “We just have to be sharp. I don’t think it’s a disadvantage that we play every three days. You train to stay fit, but competitions are something else. Certainly great ones, like today. In the end it was a beautiful afternoon.” (jve )
