© EuroFootball.com
Future opponents of Marijampolė's "Sūduva" started the season threateningly in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. On Friday evening, in the first Belgian championship match at home, they even crushed the footballers of "AA Gent", who finished fourth last season, by 5-0.
Last season's bronze medalists, "Club Brugge", edged out "AA Gent" by just three points, but in the first matches of this season, the opponents were no match for the future rivals of "Sūduva".
In Friday's match, "Club Brugge" took the lead in the middle of the first half with a goal from Koen Daerden, and ten minutes later, the result was doubled by the Croatian Boško Balaban. Although "AA Gent" still had hopes of at least drawing level, with less than 15 minutes left in the game, Manasseh Ishiaku scored the third goal. Seven minutes later, Kevin Roelandts, who came off the bench, added the fourth, and in extra time, Daniel Chavez, who also came off the bench, completed the rout against "AA Gent".
"Club Brugge" played with the following lineup: Stijnen; Clement, De Cock, Klukowski, Maertens; Blondel (80' Leko), Daerder, Englebert, Vermant; Balaban (85' Chavez), Ishiaku (78' Roelandts).
In this match, Danish national team right-back Brian Priske, who recently joined the club and was a key player for "Portsmouth" last season, did not yet make his debut for "Club Brugge".
