After a mature first half, Edan Diop deservedly gave Cercle the lead. The second half was much more difficult, although Cercle managed to take the lead a second time. Substitute Mbaye quickly cancelled out that advantage. Cercle also saw a goal ruled out for offside, but in the end they could count themselves lucky that Opoku failed to capitalize on a mistake by Warleson in the closing stages, allowing them to avoid leaving empty-handed.

Control and deserved lead in the first half

In his debut match, Lars Friis selected 10 of the 11 players who had won against Anderlecht on the final matchday of the regular season. Lawrence Agyekum was introduced into the starting lineup and, together with Edan Diop, supported striker Diakité. Dante Vanzeir started on the bench. At the back, Friis opted for a three-man defense, allowing Gary Magnée and Nazinho to operate as wing-backs.

After a cautious opening phase, Warleson was the first goalkeeper called into action. Following a good run and cross from Willen, our goalkeeper intervened before a home attacker could become dangerous. Around the fifteen-minute mark, the first real threat came at the other end. After a patient build-up, Diop aimed for the top corner, but his effort went just half a meter over.

Cercle dominated the duels and possession, and their lead midway through the first half was well deserved. Nazinho outplayed Lemoine and found Diop. Edan turned well and finished beautifully on the turn. After strong work from Diakité, the ball fell again to Diop, but Gabriël denied him a second goal with an excellent save.

Only towards halftime did the home side begin to push forward, earning their first corners of the match, but Cercle comfortably held onto their lead going into the break.

Cercle unable to hold onto their lead

The second half proved much more difficult. Cercle began losing most of the duels and struggled to create anything going forward. The home side didn’t immediately produce many chances either, but their equalizer came deservedly from a set piece. Lofolomo returned the ball acrobatically into the box, where Lemoine tapped in the 1–1 from close range.

Shortly after conceding, Cercle saw Kakou go off injured and had to weather some pressure. Erenbjerg was denied at the last moment by Van Der Bruggen.

That same Van Der Bruggen was also involved in Cercle’s second lead. With a good interception and forward pass, he set up the striking duo of Diakité and Vanzeir. Kiilerich went in too recklessly on Vanzeir, and Diakité calmly converted the resulting penalty. After good preparatory work by Kondo, Diop looked set to seal the game, but a poor first touch allowed Gabriël to intervene at his feet.

Cercle couldn’t enjoy their renewed lead for long. Substitute Mbaye scored with a fine effort off the underside of the crossbar. Cercle responded quickly, but a goal by Diop was disallowed due to an earlier offside by Diakité.

Five minutes before time, things almost went completely wrong for Cercle. Warleson was dispossessed by Opoku. Konaté chased back and made things as difficult as possible for the attacker, but Opoku’s miss in front of an open goal will likely haunt him for a while.

Line ups:

Zulte-Waregem: Gabriël, Nyssen (59’ Cappelle), Lemoine, Kiilerich (76” Mbaye), Willen, Asare (59’ Paugain), Lofolomo, Ake, Opoku, Erenbjerg en Ementa (85’ Dejaegere).

Cercle Brugge: Warleson, Kakou (65’ I. Diakité), Kondo, Konaté, Magnée, Nazinho, Van Der Bruggen, Gerkens (65’ Diaby), Agyekum (57’ Vanzeir), Diop (83’ Adewumi) en O. Diakité (83’ Ngoura)

Goals:

Diop (27’), Lemoine (60’), O. Diakité (72’) en Mbaye (78’)

Yellow cards:

Lofolomo (15’), Aké (25’), Diop (51’), Nazinho (88’) en Van Der Bruggen (92’)