‘Jackers was in a shooting booth’: Hans Vandeweghe about Fiorentina-Club Brugge

Hello Hans. Club Brugge had a hard time against Fiorentina. Can we speak of a class difference?

“Club Brugge came away well, because they were very lucky. I did not expect this favorable result for Club. Fiorentina were the better team. Blue and Black can be satisfied with only a 3-2 loss. There is an undeniable class difference between a team in the middle of the Italian Serie A (Fiorentina are currently in eighth place, SE) and the Belgian top.

“Blue and Black was hardly dangerous during the match. They were able to score two goals, one of which was a penalty after handball. Thiago’s second goal was brilliant, but it came out of nowhere, even shortly after they were down to ten men. Not bad for a semi-final away from home, but Club undoubtedly hoped to have more weight in the game.

“The Club has shown itself to be very efficient, as the statistics also prove. Fiorentina fired 31 shots, Club could barely do that five times. That’s a huge difference. At one point Jackers had to make one save after another: he was standing in a shooting booth.”

Onyedika received two yellow cards in a short time. Club had to continue with ten. Although the midfielder did not know that he had already received a yellow card for the first time. An unfortunate misunderstanding?

“He had not seen his first yellow card in minute 58 because his back was turned to the referee. Barely five minutes later he picked up a second card through a stupid mistake. The tackle was not necessary at that time and in that place.

“Onyedika impulsively toyed with the idea of ​​showing herself to the world during this European competition. That undoubtedly has something to do with it. He is a player who has resurfaced after disappearing for a while at Club. Onyedika showed a lot of drive for action.

“The red also means that he will not be there for the return match next week. That is a great loss for Bruges. Possible replacements Éder Balanta or Denis Odoi are high-risk patients. They easily take yellow and are not as decisive as Onyedika.”

Could they have achieved a better result with eleven?

“Club has received a bit of football lessons, even with eleven players. I think in general they were hoping to play more football against Fiorentina. They had the ball at their feet a lot – they had 44 percent possession – but could hardly create any danger. They were able to do that before against some top European teams. With the difference that Fiorentina did not underestimate Club, the other teams only thought they were playing against the Belgian Club.

“The team will be disappointed. They were undefeated seven times. It remains to be seen what this will mean in the Belgian competition.”

Can club still dream of the final?

“This result leaves everything open for the return match in Jan Breydel. Club has a good starting position. Yes, they have been completely outplayed by the Italians at times, but there is a big difference between Club away and home. In Jan Breydel they are almost unbeatable with the support of their fans. They need to score two more goals than the Italians to advance to the final. Not impossible.

“Although they have to remain alert: Fiorentina is a sophisticated team. It will do everything it can to keep the match under control and silence Club. That will be an interesting match. Fiorentina still has a better chance of going through, but Club is not without a chance.

“Should Club reach the final, they will probably face Olympiacos. Aston Villa lost 2-4 at home on Thursday. There is little chance that the British will be able to collect that in Greece. That is good news for Club. Blauw-zwart was able to eliminate the Greek competition leader PAOK. The match against Fiorentina next week promises to be the most difficult match.”