Previous Club Brugge semi-finalists encourage the current generation: “Don’t make the mistake we made”

An old wound can be anointed for good. Club Brugge is facing an appointment with history. If Fiorentina beats at home, it will do better than the previous generation that was in a semi-final of a European cup. Former players Vital Borkelmans and Lorenzo Staelens look back one more time and provide golden advice.

Flashback to April 15, 1992.

Club Brugge looks Werder Bremen in the eye in the semi-final of the European Cup II. In their own stadium, blue-black seems unapproachable that season. But when we visited Germany, everything was just that little bit different.

“We just didn’t get to work,” sighs Vital Borkelmans when recalling the painful evening. Club saw a 1-0 bonus from the first match melt like snow in the sun.

Bremen overpowered Club and won 2-0. Psychological warfare had something to do with that.

“It started with a mental rollercoaster beforehand. We had to get on buses to the stadium with Werder Bremen in large letters. When we drove among our fans, we were pelted. Until Franky Van der Elst went forward to say that we goods.”

90 minutes of football later, the rollercoaster ended with an exit from Europe.

“The match is still fresh in my memory, because you don’t just get an opportunity like that,” the blue-black defender continues in that match. “Missing a final remains an open wound.”

One that the current generation absolutely wants to avoid. So Borkelmans has important advice.

“Don’t make the mistake we made by adapting to the moment or the opponent. We were virtually unbeatable in our regular system, but suddenly started playing with 5 at the back.”

“If Club adapts to the circumstances, it will be successful.”

You don’t want to feel afterwards that you didn’t give it your all.

Lorenzo Staelens

Veteran Lorenzo Staelens – who defended the Bruges shirt for 9 years – is also happy to share a golden tip.

“Give everything from the first minute. A match like this is all or nothing. And you don’t want to feel afterwards that you didn’t give it your all.”

“And also…”, Staelens continues. “I think that if Club takes the lead, it is simply about Fiorentina.”

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It is clear that the heroes of the past do want the current generation to make the leap to the final. In fact, they really believe in it.

“I give Club a 50 to 60 percent chance. The team is in a good flow and in a sold-out Jan Breydel they can do just that little bit more,” Staelens opens a final prediction for the moment of truth.

“I hope from the bottom of my heart that the beautiful moment will come,” Borkelmans adds. “Club is playing on clouds, because they only look at the goal and the ball is already in the net.”

“The mountains of headlines you read are behind you at the first whistle. No one should worry about “what if”, but just play football in the flow that is in blue and black.”

And so the answer to the million dollar question is: will Club qualify for the final? “Yes.”

It would be a big plaster on a 32-year-old wound.