Find the reaction of the coach, Rik De Mil, at the end of the match against Union Saint-Gilloise (1-2), counting for the 21st day of the Jupiler Pro League.
I want to apologize, because what happened this evening does not correspond to my values. Interrupting the game like this repeatedly is not normal. It’s not a good image for football, for Charleroi, and I hope it doesn’t happen again.
We started the meeting well. We knew that the Union had more qualities than us, but we were ready and well organized. We scored this first goal quickly, which allowed us to take the lead, and then we managed the match well.
At half-time, I told my players to start strong from the restart, and even if it only lasted two minutes (game stopped in the 46th minute), I think we started well. A new stoppage in play once again disrupted the match, then the referee ordered everyone to return to the locker room.
I think we need to learn to stay mentally strong and come back with the same mindset after every interruption. And unfortunately, we didn’t. We suffered and gave the opponent two goals. Then we struggled to react against such an experienced team.
-The break and the two goals gave us a morale boost. It’s a shame, because there was something to do today, even if the Union is a very good team. We tried, but it wasn’t enough.
Players were frustrated, as this isn’t the first time this has happened. Some experienced the episode in Mechelen, which increased the frustration, because they work hard all week. I told them that we had to manage these moments better, because in football anything can happen. We must not waste energy unnecessarily.
Belgium
