retired_loubou

Geneve, 15 o'clock:

Live draw for the second round of the Champions Cup.

For the third year in a row me and my assistant, Rene Verheyen, were sitting here in Geneve awaiting the draw for the second round of the Champions Cup. Sepp Blatter arrived in the room and did like he did every year, giving us a review of the group phases.

Sepp Blatter: Lady’s and gentlemen, managers and assistant managers welcome in Geneve for the live draw of the second round of the Champions Cup. But first we will have a review of the Group Phases, and we’re starting with ….

Group A:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> 1st Q Roma 6 4 1 1 10 5 +5 13 2nd Q Standard 6 3 0 3 5 4 +1 9 ------------------------------------------- 3rd Newcastle 6 2 1 3 4 6 -2 7 4th Monaco 6 1 2 3 4 8 -4 5</pre>

As expected Roma ended on top of the group. They didn't have any real contest in this group and so it was just like a warm-up for them. They were unbeaten at home so far this season in the Champions Cup. In second place we have a surprising result as it was Standard who were able to qualify. It's their first time in three years that they're in these group phases and so far everything is going fine. Just like Roma, they're also unbeaten at home. But it could be very hard for them in the next round as they weren't able to win an away game. Newcastle ended in third position and instead of playing some Champions league football after new-year they will have to be happy with Uefa Cup football. Monaco did worse then last year, as then they were able to go trough to the next round. Now they're out of all the European competitions.

Group B:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> 1st Q Ajax 6 4 1 1 11 3 +8 13 2nd Q Arsenal 6 4 1 1 9 4 +5 13 ------------------------------------------------ 3rd VFB Stuttgart 6 1 2 3 6 7 -1 5 4th KR 6 0 2 4 3 15 -12 2</pre>

In this group there was one thing almost sure from the start and that was that former Champions Cup winners, Arsenal, would qualify from this group. This also happened as they ended as second. They have the same amount of points like first placed Ajax. Both teams deserved the qualification and they had a fair amount of points to much on third placed VFB Stuttgart, who will have to be happy with Uefa Cup football. As expected KR, the team from Iceland ended in last position and they weren't able to win one game.

Group C:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> 1st Q Sparta Prague 6 4 1 1 9 3 +6 13 2nd Q Real Madrid 6 3 1 2 12 6 +6 10 ----------------------------------------------- 3rd FC Copenhagen 6 2 1 3 9 11 -2 7 4th Porto 6 0 3 3 6 16 -10 3</pre>

There are a some surprising things in this group. The first thing is that Sparta Prague ended on top of the group. They won all of their home games and were three points clear of second placed Real Madrid. After last year's humiliation they're back with the great ones. Just like Sparta they've won all of their home games. Their away record could be better for a team of their statut. In third place and able to play some Uefa Cup football after new year are FC Copenhagen. Anyway they've done better then the past two years as this time they were able to end in third position. Porto will be very sad about their poor run this year in the Champions league. It's their worst result in the three years that have passed.

Group D:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> 1st Q Marseille 6 5 0 1 14 3 +11 15 2nd Q Valencia 6 3 0 3 8 7 +1 9 ---------------------------------------------- 3rd Basel 6 2 1 3 6 12 -6 7 4th Olympiakos 6 1 1 4 4 10 -6 4</pre>

This group was totally dominated by Marseille. They lost only one game which is quite an achievement for the team that lost last year in the 4th round of the Uefa Cup. In second place and also qualified for the next round is Valencia. Last year Valencia weren't in the Champions Cup but this year they've done a good job. In third place we have Basel. They're happy to play some Uefa Cup football after the winterbreak. Just like last year Olympiakos ended in bottom in their group. The team from Greece will have to improve if they want to stay longer in the European Competitions.

Group E:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> 1st Q PSV 6 6 0 0 14 2 +12 18 2nd Q Chelsea 6 2 2 2 8 7 +1 8 ----------------------------------------------- 3rd CSKA Moscow 6 0 4 2 5 10 -5 4 4th Sporting 6 0 2 4 3 11 -8 2</pre>

A complete dominance by PSV in group E, isn't what everyone expected before the games started. It is a great way of achieving qualification like this and I would like to warn every team. Chelsea qualified also but they didn't do it in style as they only managed to win two games. It's the third year in a row that they qualified for the second round of the re-newed Champions Cup. CSKA Moscow will be very happy with their third spot in this tough group. Although they didn't win any game they have two points more then Sporting, who ended in last position.

Group F:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> 1st Q FC Bayern 6 4 1 1 13 7 +6 13 2nd Q Club Brugge 6 4 0 2 11 8 +3 12 ---------------------------------------------- 3rd Rangers 6 2 1 3 11 10 +1 7 4th Betis 6 1 0 5 7 17 -10 3</pre>

As everyone expected FC Bayern ended on top with 13 points. In second place we have Club Brugge. This is their third time in a row that they were able to progress to the second round and I think it would be fair if we called them a sub-top club in Europe. Let's see if they can do as good as they did last year. The Gers ended in third position and they will have to be happy with Uefa Cup football for the rest of the season. Betis ended in a somewhat disaapoiting 4th position and are out of everything.

Group G:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> 1st Q Inter 6 6 0 0 17 1 +16 18 2nd Q Lyon 6 2 1 3 7 12 -5 7 -------------------------------------------- 3rd Dortmund 6 1 2 3 4 10 -6 5 4th Besiktas 6 1 1 4 8 13 -5 4</pre>

Inter really dominated this group as they won all of their games and only conceeded one goal. So the other teams had to fight it out to get this second place and finally it went to Lyon. The team from French ended with seven points which is two points more then Dortmund who are moved to the Uefa Cup from now on. Besiktas were left with nothing as with four points they were the weakes link. The two teams that weren't qualified will be used to it as neither one of them made it to the second round in the past two years.

Group H:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> 1st Q Juventus 6 4 2 0 15 3 +12 14 2nd Q Man Utd 6 3 3 0 9 5 +4 12 -------------------------------------------------- 3rd Benfica 6 2 1 3 10 14 -4 7 4th Austria Vienna 6 0 0 6 6 18 -12 0</pre>

As expected the two favourites were able to progress to the next round. Juventus ended on top with fourteen points and with an unbeaten record. Man Utd were also unbeaten but only managed to pick up twelve points. Benfica have achieved what they expected before the games started as they ended in third position. And then we have Austria Vienna, the only team that didn't pick up one point. They can concentrate them on other things beside European football for this season.

retired_loubou

Sepp Blatter: So now that this is out of the way let's start the draw for the second round of the Champions Cup. The first team that comes out of the bowl is:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">ITA Roma </pre>

AS Roma. They had an easy group and ended on top of that warm-up group. They're currently in 4th position in the Italian Serie A. Their first game of the knock-out round will be at home against

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">ENG Arsenal </pre>

current Champions Cup holders Arsenal. They're currently leading in the Premier Division and that is saying something already. It will be an intresting game between these two giants.

The second game will see

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">ESP Valencia </pre>

Valencia at home. Valencia are in second position in La Liga, which mean they aren't one of the weaker teams in this round. Theire opponents will be

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">CZE Sparta Prague </pre>

Sparta Prague. They ended on top in the group with Real Madrid. They were unbeaten at home in that group and they didn't even conceded a goal at home, so Valencia are warned.

The third game will be between

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">ESP Real Madrid </pre>

Real Madrid, a team that consist out of star players and a good coach. For the fourth year in a row they're on top of their league in Spain but their first round didn't went like they expected, and

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">FRA Marseille </pre>

Marseille, who played a great group phase, will be a tough test. The team from France is looking to get as far as possible and with this squad they're able to be in for a shock.

The fourth game will see

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">BEL Standard </pre>

Standard at home. They're currently in second position in the Belgium Jupiler league. I know a lot of people will see this as a weak team, but they did better then Newcastle in the group phases which is a nice achievement. Besides they will have nothing to lose against

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">NED Ajax </pre>

Ajax. It will be a great derby between Belgium and Netherland. Ajax ended on top of their group leaving Arsenal behind them. So both teams have nothing to lose and it will be intresting to see who will come out as the winners.

The ninth team coming out of the bowl is

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">NED PSV </pre>

PSV. Maybe they don't have a big reputation in Europe but they were unbeaten in the group with Chelsea. They only conceded two goals and they will be hungry to bring back the glory days. Their opponents will be

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">BEL Club Brugge </pre>

Club Brugge. So that's another clash between Belgium and Netherland. Club Brugge went out in the semi finals last year and it's their third time in a row they've reached the second round. So this will be another game you will have to watch.

Up next is

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">ITA Inter Milan </pre>

the second in the Serie A, Inter Milan. The only other team that was unbeaten in the previous round. With only one goal conceded they were the best defending team in the previous round. Let's see if

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">ENG Man Utd </pre>

Man Utd are strong enough to beat them. They're currently in third position in the Premier Division and ended just below Juventus in their group. I think they will be out on revenge against Italy.

The last home team for the first leg will be

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">ITA Juventus </pre>

the current leaders in the Serie A, Juventus. They're red hot on the moment and they will be eager to find back the road to the final, just like they did last year. With only one team left means that they will face

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">FRA Lyon </pre>

Lyon in the second round of the Champions Cup. Lyon ended between Inter and Dortmund in their group and with this next contender up, they will have nothing to lose, which are mostly the most dangerous teams.


Sepp Blatter: This concludes the draw for the second round of the Champions Cup. I wish everyone the best of luck and I would like to see eight of you back here in a few months.

retired_loubou

Due to some pc problems, it's been a while since I updated this story, but now it seems like they're fixed so let's hope we can get this back on the track.

Saturday 17th December:

Jupiler league first division, game 17

6th Sint-Truiden (LXWWW) vs. Club Brugge 1st(WWWXW)
Top goalscorer: De Mul (9) - Guayre (24)
Last meeting: Sint-Truiden - Club Brugge 1-1

Venue: Staaien, Sint-Truiden: 13656

Weather: Wet, 8°C

In the last meetings between these two teams there isn't really a big difference. Sint-Truiden picked up four against Brugge, while they picked up seven. So let's see how both teams will do today. Sint-Truiden pushed forward early on and looked for an early goal, but Bizzarri kept his nets clean. Until the 25th minute Sint-Truiden pushed forward in numbers and Brugge didn't knew what to do. Luckily for the current champions Bizzarri was playing a great game or they could have been down one or two goals. In the 36th minute Sint-Truiden pushed forward once again but Kompany stole the ball. He played it up to Diogo, who sent away Casas. He was clear of his defender and you know what happens then most of the time, he blasts the ball into the back of the net, just like he did this time. Four minutes later Van der Heyden played a weak backpass towards the keeper, but the ball was intercepted by De Mul, who finished it off of course. Things didn't look good for Brugge in the 50th minute when De Mul finished off a nice individual effort with a shot from 25 yards out, and Bizzarri was beaten for the second time in this game. After that the game just ran to it's end and I just became mad when I saw that my team wasn't even trying. They stood there and let Sint-Truiden control the game and so we lost against a good Sint-Truiden who catched us on a very bad day.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Sint-Truiden 2 Club Brugge 1 1| | Dusan Belic | |5| | 1| | Albano Benjamin Bizzarri| |6| |17|yc| Peter Delorge | |7| | 18| | Vincent Kompany | |7| | 4|yc| Boldizsar Bodor | |8| | 2| | Olivier De Cock | |7| |24|yc| Robbie Della |sub 45|5| | 3| | Peter Van der Heyden | |7| | 3| | Nicky Hayen (c) | |5| | 7| | Carlos Diogo | |7| |18| | Dries Jacquemyn | |7| | 20|yc| Nastja Ceh | |7| |13| | Bram Vangeel | |7| | 19| | Julius Aghahowa | |4| |11| | Kris Buvens |sub 64|7| | 8| | Kim Kallstrom | |7| | 2| | Wouter Vrancken | |7| | 6|lk| Gaetan Englebert |sub 48|7| |46|* | Tom De Mul | |9|2| 10|yc| Gaston Angel Casas | |6|1|47| | Gadiago |sub 64|5| | 32| | Vitaly Kutuzov | |7| |----------------------------------- -------------------------------------------19| | Claude Kalisa | on 45|7| | 41| | Tom Vets | on 48|7| | 6| | Frank Geraerts | on 64|7| | 10| | Tom Van Imschoot| on 64|7| |</pre>

After the game I recieved the news that Ceh would miss our next game as he picked up his third yeloow card this season.
Winfried Schäfer is no longer the manager of Antwerp as he was sacked on sunday after the recent bad results in the First Division.

This weekend's results (16/12 - 18/12):

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">16/12 3rd Anderlecht 2 - 2 Beveren 11th ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------17/12 15th AA Gent 1 - 1 Germinal Beerschot 6th 17th Antwerp 0 - 3 Westerlo 13th 8th Genk 0 - 0 Oostende 18th 4th Lierse 4 - 0 Lokeren 7th 12th Mouscron 1 - 3 Brussels 14th 5th Sint-Truiden 2 - 1 Club Brugge 1st 2nd Standard 3 - 0 Union SG 9th ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------18/12 10th Cercle Brugge 1 - 0 SV Roeselare 16th</pre>

retired_deedee465

Hey Bjorn.

I read your story again.Nice work!
Finally someone who writes a decent story about our much underrated competition.

Ps:How is Fc Denderleeuw doing ?

KUTGW!

retired_loubou

Thx for the continuing support Fc Denderleeuw. They are currently 11th in the second division.

Wednesday 21st September:

Nicolas Anelka moved today from Chelsea to Valencia. The English club made €4M profit of the French striker as they sold him for €23,5M after they bought him two season ago for €19,25M.

Belgian cup 7th round

Lovendegem vs. Club Brugge D1
Last meeting: -

Venue: Gemeentelijk Sportstadion: 2570

Weather: Dry, 4°C

It's the first time that these two teams face each other, so we can't look back in the future to judge a comment on this game, although many expect Club Brugge to win easily against a non division side. The expectation became true when Kallstrom opened the score for the visitors. Ten minutes later Casas made it 0-2 as he fired in Kallstrom's perfect pass. Brugge started to relax which gave a little bit more space to the home team, who had some little chances. They didn't want to give up that easily and when De Cooremeter pulled one back a minute before the end of the first half. The though of getting back into the game in the second half, was alive for a moment as they had the better chances in the start of the second period. But when Diogo headed in Englebert's cross, they knew that it was over. Still there were twenty-two minutes left and so they started to push forward. Brugge started to relax for the second time in this game and when Kallstrom fired in his second of the evening, on the counter attack, the game was decided and just ran to it's end. So the shock troops from Lovendegem are out of the cup from now on.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Lovendegem 1 Club Brugge 4 1| | Michaël Demoulin | |5| | 1| | Albano Benjamin Bizzarri| |5| | 2|yc| Steven Clincke | |5| | 18| | Vincent Kompany | |7| | 3|lk| Didier Bouillaert | |7| | 2| | Olivier De Cock | |7| | 4| | Christophe Gyselinck | |5| | 3| | Peter Van der Heyden | |8| | 5|lk| Geoffrey Pierre |sub 78|5| | 7|yc| Carlos Diogo | |9|1| 6| | Jurgen Van Duysen | |6| | 32| | Vitaly Kutuzov | |7| | 7| | Sébastien Pousselet | |7| | 19| | Julius Aghahowa | |7| | 8| | Kay Mortier |sub 60|7| | 8|* | Kim Kallstrom | |9|2| 9| | Michaël Picart |sub 68|5| | 6| | Gaetan Englebert | |8| |10| | Sebastiaan De Cooremeter (c)| |7|1| 10|lk| Gaston Angel Casas | |7|1|11|yc| Souhaieb Ben R'Haiem | |7| | 13| | Guayre (c) | |7| |----------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------14| | Steven Geeraerts | on 60|6| |15| | Davy De Martelaere | on 78|6| |16| | Kevin Verkempinck | on 68|7| | </pre>

Belgian Cup 7th round - results:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">21/12 Meulebeke 1 - 0 Mouscron D1 D1 Germinal Beerschot 2 - 1 Standard D1 D1 Beveren (p) 2 - 2 Westerlo D1 D1 Brussels 0 - 3 Genk D1 D1 Lokeren 1 - 3 Anderlecht D1 Lovendegem 1 - 4 Club Brugge D1 D3B OH Leuven 3 - 3 (p) Turnhout D2 D2 Francs Borains 2 - 0 Cercle Brugge D1</pre>

retired_loubou

Friday 23rd December:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
Sportnieuws - Canvas

Oversea move for Swedish youngster??

Rumours are spreading that Kim Kallstrom will leave Jan Breydelstadion on the first january. It is said that he would join David O'Leary at Aston Villa. The former manager of Leeds United is willing to offer €8,75M for the Swedish cultured midfielder. However manager at Club Brugge, Björn Noppe, is waving away all posibilities of a transfer.

The 23 year old attacking midfielder joined Club Brugge on the 8th July of 2003. Since then he has become a valuable player and he was one of the key factors in Brugge's succes. He has already won six trophy's with his current club. He even reached the Semi Final of the Champions Cup last season, so some are thinking that he wouldn't leave that behind for 13th placed Aston Villa.

"We're not thinking about selling Kim so far. If, and only if, he really insists on a move, then we could think about a possible transfer." was Björn reaction on this rumour. We'll keep you updated, if we hear more about this.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

There was more news today, as we were told that we would play arch rivals, Anderlecht, in the Quarter Final of the Belgian Cup.

Sunday 25th December:

Barcelona splashed out €48M for Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart. After two season and a half at Ajax, the 22yearAfter old felt that he was ready to play on a higher level.

Friday 30th December:

Dutch striker Roy Makaay traded his Chelsea shirt today for one of Real Madrid. The Spanish giant paid €12.25M for the player.


League round-up on 31st December 2005:

Belgium:

As expected Club Brugge is on top of the league. They have four points lead on second placed Standard. A strong run by them has given them an eight point lead on third placed Anderlecht. On the bottom of the league we see Antwerp and last placed Oostende. They are three and four points respectively from a safe place.

England:

After eighteen games Arsenal are still waiting to see their first defeat. Because of this it looks like the battle is already decided there. The other teams are fighting for the other Champions Cup places. Chelsea, on twelve points from Arsenal, are in second position with a one point lead on Liverpool. The other title favourite Man Utd is in fourth position with only two points less then Chelsea. Blackburn, Sunderland and Portsmouthare in 18th, 19th and 20th position respectively and are fighting to avoid relegation.

Italy:

Juventus is currently leading in the Serie A after a nice run of results. They have a three point lead on last season champions Inter Milan and third placed AC Milan. So everything is still posible in Italy. At the foot of the table we see Fiorentina in 20th position, Como in 19th and Udinese in 18th position. The last two are three points away from a safe spot while Fiorentina is going to have it tougher as they only have seven points, which is eight points away from a safe place.

Spain:

It won't surprise you if I tell you that Real Madrid is on to of La Liga. After seventeen games they have three points more then Valencia who are in second place. The third place is given to Celta while Barcelona is in fifth, only eight points from their arch rivals. So nothing is decided yet in Spain. Murcia is in 18th position with 16 points, which is as much as 17th placed Alavés. In 19th position we have Elche with eight points, and in last position with two points less is Recreativo.

retired_deedee465

Keep it up! :thup:

retired_loubou

Ok It's been a while since I updated this story, but I'm willing to continue it. Hopefully none of you are having problems with this :p
And cheers for the support Fc Denderleeuw. One last thing I need to tell you is that I seem to have lost 21 days as the date is now 20/01/06. And there will also be an other style of updates. Here we go.



Club Brugge 3 - Brussels 1
First Division - game 18
Friday 20 January 2006
20:30 Jan Breydelstadion - Bruges

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
Club Brugge have easily won their 18th game in the First Division against 14th placed Brussels. Because of this win Brugge are well on their way to grab their third tittle in three years under manager Björn Noppe. The 15181 fans in the stadium saw an almost one way game as the home team controlled everything.

Early pressure
It soon became very clear how the game would be played like. Brugge pushed forward and Brussels couldn't do anything back. Patrick Nijs was soon forced in action, pushing away a distance shot by Kallstrom in first instance and preventing him to score five minutes later. Guayre had a third chance of the game just before the tenth minute, but once again Nijs was there to divert it wide.

Kutuzov opener
The game was finally spiced up when Vitaly Kutuzov opened the score with 22 minutes on the clock. It was Guayre who dribbled his way on the right wing before he set up the Belarusian striker - who now played as attacking midfielder on the right wing. It looked like Brussels would have to do something back if they didn't want to be slaughtered. However, they weren't as the flow of the game stayed the same.

Action and reaction.... and another reaction
Seven minutes before the end of the first half it was Kutuzov again who scored as he headed in Ceh's perfect cornerkick. The home team was in a cushion now but it only last three minutes as Makasi pulled one back with an amazing volley from twenty yards out that left Bizzarri stranded. The game couldn't get any better for the home fans when Casas restored their two goal lead a minute later. Once again it was Ceh who gave the assist from a cornerkick.

Boring second half
As expected the second half wasn't as spectacular as the first 45 minutes as Brussels were unable to do something and Brugge didn't need to do something. Guayre - Brugge's top goalscorer - had some chances together with Kallstrom but both were unable to score today.

Home team stats:
Posession - 48%
Shots - 21
Shots on target - 9
Corners - 3
Free kicks - 16

Away team stats:
Posession - 52%
Shots - 2
Shots on target - 2
Corners - 2
Free kicks - 11 <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

retired_loubou

Sunday 22nd January:

I decided to offer a contract to Vasilis Seretis, a 20 year old promising defender. After three seasons of Aris, he decided to leave the club as they couldn't offer what he wanted. Now the four times capped Greece player is looking for a new club and has attracted the intrest of several top clubs including Real Madrid, Arsenal, Deportivo, Dortmund and Newcastle. The latter already offered a contract to him.

On that same day I decided to offer a contract to Jonathan Soranio of Deportivo. The nine times U21 capped forward is looking like another great star, and now that his contract is unprotected I didn't want to hesitate and offered him a contract at our club. Should he accept our offer we would have to pay €4,1M for the Spanish striker.

Monday 23rd January:

It became very clear how fast Soranio wanted to leave the Spanish club as a day after I offered him a contract he called me to tell me that he was on his way to my club. I was very happy with this news and it could be that he get his first chance against Anderlecht on Wednesday when we face them in the Belgian Cup Qtr Final.

In the afternoon he arrived at the club and met the players and the coaching staff. Meanwhile it didn't seem like Seretis would join our club as Real Madrid offered a contract to the player.

Club Brugge 3 - Anderlecht 0
Belgian Cup Qtr Final leg 1
Wednesday 25 January 2006
20:00 Jan Breydelstadion - Bruges

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
A few changes were made to the team that won against Brussels on Friday. Maertens was placed back on the bench as Diogo came back in the starting eleven, after his suspension, while Jonathan Soranio got his chance to prove himself despite Guayre. At the back Butina got a chance to prove himself for the first time since the arrival of Bizzarri. The unavailbe players for the home team were Clement and Rozehnal. Anderlecht had to miss Jimmy Hempte this evening. Not that it changed much about the result as Brugge, as expected, won the game to put them in a good position for the return in a fortnight.

Bitter rivals
Ever since 1967 these two teams have been bitter rivals on and off the pitch and this evening it wasn't any better. Those of Anderlecht singing racist songs about the players of Brugge and vica versa. Add to this that Mendoza has left Brugge for Anderlecht last season and the heat lightens up more and more. The start however was kind of nervous as both teams needed a while to create a decent chance.

Mendoza pressure
Twenty minutes were already gone by when the first decent chance of the game came up. Ironicly it was Andres Mendoza who created it. The pitch were he had scored more then a 100 times in the past years was also the pitch where he now played against Brugge. Four shots in twenty minutes time came from his foot, with Butina forced in action for two times. First making a fingertip save on his volley and fifteen minutes later saving a shot from distance. Brugge could only put up one chance during this time, as Kutuzov's shot forced De Vlieger in action. A corner kick was the best he got out of it.

Spectacular second half opening
The second half started way better for the home team and fans. The first chance of the second half was finished off immediately. Kallstrom spotted the run of Casas and played a 45 yard pass forward. Casas continued with his run in the box before the Argentinian striker finished it off with a nice groundshaving strike. Anderlecht didn't knew what him them so fast but four minutes later Brugge were back. Once again it was Kallstrom who played the ball into the box towards Diogo. The right sided defender tried to beat Anderlecht's goallie with a powerful header but De Vlieger saved and deflected the ball clear. Unfortunately for him Soranio readed the game well, and had something to prove on his debut, as Brugge's latest signing made it 2-0.

Home team control
Brugge were safe now and started to relax as it looked like Anderlecht were shocked. The controlling style of football did earn Brugge some chances to score even more but lack of finshing started to play a role and prevented them from scoring. Anderlecht only created one last chance after that second quick goal, trough Quinteros, but Butina proved himself by keeping his clean sheet. In the end it became even worse for Anderlecht when Saeternes headed the ball past De Vlieger to score his first goal of the season for Brugge. A nice result was what Brugge wanted before they started this game, and now 90 minutes later they got what they wanted.

Home team stats:
Posession - 52%
Shots - 12
Shots on target - 8
Corners - 1
Free kicks - 17

Away team stats:
Posession - 48%
Shots - 9
Shots on target - 5
Corners - 2
Free kicks - 15 <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

retired_loubou

Thursday 24th January:

The race to get Seretis' autograph on a contract offer became hotter then ever. Six new teams offered him a contract today. The likes of Dortmund, Lazio, Celta, Arsenal, Man Utd and Deportivo added them to the list of clubs who are intrested in the Greece defender. I started to think that it will be almost impossible to get him to our club, but still I'll keep hoping.

Milan Baros left his club Liverpool for another Premier League team. W.B.A. will certainly be glad that they have signed such a talented player. It will also be necesary as they are currently in a disappointing 19th position.

There was also a change in our competition today as Rudi Völler left third placed Anderlecht to take control of AA Gent, who are currently in 15th position. It was a strange decision by the German manager, but it was a public secret that the board of directors couldn't agree with his way of working.


GBA 1 - Club Brugge 3
First Division - game 19
Saturday 28 January 2006
20:00 Olympisch Stadion (Kiel) - Antwerp

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The home team has two players who are unavailable for this game as defender Philippe Leonard is still out for two weeks with broken ribs, while Mohamed Messoudi, a forward, is out with a back strain for a day. For Club Brugge Rozehnal returned from injury - although he still isn't fit enough - while Clement is still out for three months. GBA will play with the same eleven players that earned a draw at home against Turnhout on Wednesday in the Cup. Guayre is back in the team for the visitors as Björn Noppe placed Soranio back on the bench for this game. GBA started very dominant in this game but a quick reply from Brugge, struck GBA and stunned them before Brugge made it worse.

Dull opening
The fans saw a great start from the home team who took the game in their hands from the fist minute. This resulted into a serious test for Butina on shots from Van Zundert and Snelders, but the Croatian goallie kept his nets clean at the start. Just before the first quarter of the game was past Ageyman tried to beat Butina from distance but his culing shot went over the bar. Two minutes later though he finally opened the score for GBA as Ageyman was the first to score against Butina this season.

Guayre's reply
Guayre was very happy to be back in the starting eleven -even after Soranio's succesful debut - and he was also the first Brugge player to fire a shot at target. However Bram Verbist got in his way to prevent him from scoring the equaliser. Three minutes before the half hour mark Kallstrom played an in-swinging corner which was brought down on Guayre's chest. The 25 year old striker didn't hesitate as he fired in the equaliser. Brugge pulled confidence out of this goal and started to push forward. They were rewarded for this as once again it was Guayre who placed the ball against the back of the net. Brugge got back from a goal down to a one goal lead in two minutes trough their Spanish striker.

The right time
GBA looked a bit confused after these two quick goals, which resulted into some bad defending at the back. When Argentinian striker, Casas, gave his team a two goal lead just before the end of the first half, it looked like the game was played. No matter how hard GBA tried in the second half they always found Butina in their way. Because of his good performance, Bizzarri could start to worry about his number one jersey. Soranio also came on the pitch 15 minutes before the end of the game, but he couldn't make an impact on a game that was already won. With four wins out of their last five games, Brugge seem to be back on the good road.

Home team stats:
Posession - 58%
Shots - 12
Shots on target - 4
Corners - 4
Free kicks - 16

Away team stats:
Posession - 42%
Shots - 12
Shots on target - 9
Corners - 4
Free kicks - 20
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