KAA Gent has won the prestigious Battle of Flanders against Club Brugge with a 2-1 scoreline. The Buffaloes remain perfect with nine points from three matches, as reported by Sporza this week.
Eighteen-year-old Ibrahima Cissé headed home the decisive 2-1 winner in the 84th minute from a Volckaert cross. The young striker later received a red card himself, as did Club Brugge player Carlos Forbs after a pushing incident with Van der Heyden. Club played most of the second half with ten men.
How did the match unfold?
KAA Gent opened the scoring in the first half through Vergara. The Argentine had earlier hit the crossbar. Hans Vanaken equalized for Club Brugge just before halftime, assisted by Carlos Forbs. Despite Club having more possession, Gent was more dangerous in attack. The home team played a mature and organized match according to coach Rik De Mil. "The red card made a difference, but we could have won against eleven as well," De Mil said afterwards.
Mouhamed Ngom was named man of the match for Gent. He was strong in duels, good at interceptions and dangerous going forward. Ngom nearly provided an assist late in the game. Club Brugge's defense allowed Volckaert too much space to deliver the cross for the winning goal, with Virgili defending poorly.
What did the players say afterwards?
Nicolo Tresoldi of Club Brugge was critical of his own performance. "It was not good enough from me today. Gent is a difficult team, not easy to play here," said the 22-year-old Italian. His coach had asked him to be more involved and come deeper to collect the ball.
Christian Burgess brings stability, maturity and fire to the dressing room according to his coach. The English defender was pleased with the victory. "This is the kind of match you build momentum with. The atmosphere was great. I'm happy for the young players like Cissé and Vergara," Burgess said. About Cissé he remarked: "He is not as tall as Onuachu, but he reminds me a bit of him. I certainly keep my distance from him in training."
What does this mean for the standings?
With this victory, KAA Gent climbs further up the table. Before kick-off, Rik De Mil's team was eighth in the Jupiler Pro League with six points from two games. They had scored four goals and conceded one, for a goal difference of plus three. The gap to leaders Charleroi was six points.
The perfect start with three consecutive wins gives the team a lot of confidence. The next challenge is already on the horizon. On September 3rd, Gent hosts OH Leuven, who currently sit in 16th place. Fans can follow the schedule for that match and the rest of the season on our fixtures page. The current league position can be seen in the standings.
How does Gent move forward?
The focus now quickly shifts to the next assignment against OH Leuven. The home crowd at the Ghelamco Arena can once again be an important factor. Rik De Mil's squad seems to be in good form, with young players making an immediate impact and experienced figures showing leadership. The coming weeks will show if Gent can continue the strong run and maintain contact with the top. The statistics of the players contributing to this can be followed on our stats page.
