The first semi-final first leg of the Croky Cup pitted Club Brugge against KRC Genk, number 2 and number 1 in the Jupiler Pro League after 21 of the 30 days of the regular season, on Wednesday evening at the Jan Breydel Stadium.
The Blauw en Zwart won 2-1 (halftime: 1-1), but there would probably have been no winner without VAR.
We still felt that this very narrow defeat was not considered catastrophic by number 1.
Tolu Arokodare, this will probably not surprise you, opened the scoring shortly before the half-hour mark on Limburg’s first opportunity.
Quicker than Bruges defender Joel Ordonez, already not very sure last Sunday in Anderlecht, the Nigerian scored his fifteenth goal of the season with the flat of his foot on a perfect cross from Jarne Steuckers (0-1, 29th).
Ordonez would, however, redeem himself by equalizing with a header from a Christos Tzolis corner, thanks to an impressive effort over Bryan Heynen (1-1, 34th).
A penalty in the spirit of the times!
We shouldn’t have expected to see Genk, uncompromising at home in the league, win the match after the restart
Which forced the people of Bruges to try to take matters into their own hands, like three days earlier at Lotto Park.
Mujaid Sadick, fighting with Ferran Jutgla after a cross from Michal Skoras, touched the Spaniard’s foot.
Was that worth a penalty?
Yes, in today’s football, and even more particularly when Club Bruges is concerned.
Referee Lawrence Visser was probably not very keen to grant it, but it’s difficult to do otherwise, when the video assistance (VAR) asks you to go and watch the images.
Still, Tzolis, Bruges’ top scorer this season, took the opportunity to plant his twelfth goal of the season into Mike Penders’ net (2-1, 74th, final score).
Return match on Wednesday February 5 (8:45 p.m.).
Thursday (20:45): RSC Anderlecht – Antwerp FC
