Three games, three wins, zero goals: FC Brugge amazing in the Champions League. Now the Belgian champions have something historic to look forward to.
In the summer, this message was worth at most a small side note. Ferran Jutglà moved from FC Barcelona to FC Brugge for a transfer fee of five million euros. Until then, the talented center forward was at Barça have only made six league appearances and have not gotten beyond the role of a follower.
But what a little gem the Belgians had discovered there could be seen once again on Tuesday evening (October 4th, 2022) in the Champions League duel against Atlético Madrid. The rather small Jutglà (1.75 m tall), born in Barcelona, played well against the Rojiblancos, prepared the 1-0 great and scored the goal to make it 2-0 himself. He was undoubtedly the man of the evening in the vibrant Jan Breydel Stadium and showed his compatriots from the Spanish capital what he really can do.
Jutglà – also a man for Luis Enrique?
It was a big mistake by FC Barcelona to sell this player – and then for only five million euros, wrote the Spanish sports newspaper Marca after Jutglà’s strong performance. With every appearance for Brugge, Jutglà shows that he is a striker at the highest level. It is incomprehensible that he does not play in La Liga and that he is not on Luis Enrique’s list for the World Cup with Spain, the newspaper said.
Of course, Jutglà didn’t win against Atlético alone. Rather, he joins a team that really shines in the Champions League. Brugge had started the group stage as clear outsiders While the 1-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen at the start of the group stage was unsurprisingly thrown away, the 4-0 win at FC Porto on matchday 2 made everyone sit up and take notice.
The 2-0 win against group favorites Atlético could complete the Belgian champions’ “football fairy tale”. Club Brugge, as they are known in Belgium, has never progressed beyond the group stage of this competition. In addition, there has never been a team in the Champions League that has won three of their first three games.
Carl Hoefkens – successful in his first head coaching position
Reaching the round of 16 for the first time is therefore within reach – and would also be the greatest personal success for Bruges coach Carl Hoefkens, who was only promoted from assistant coach (since 2018) to head coach in the summer. Remarkable: For the first time ever, Hoefkens is primarily responsible for a team. Never before has a Belgian coach managed to win the first three games in the premier class.
The 44-year-old made a name for himself as a defender in the Belgian professional league. He also played in England for four years – at Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion. As a coach, Hoefkens now seems to be on the right track. Before the first game he told his players “I don’t want to be the coach who comes into the dressing room after the game and says: ‘Today there was more.'” Apparently everyone understood that.
Brugge coach Cral Hoefkens
If the constellation is favorable, one point next Wednesday (October 12th, 2022, 6.45 p.m.) in Madrid could be enough for FC Brugge to reach the knockout phase. In between, however, is everyday life in the league. Saturday is the home game against KVS Westerlo. First Westerlo, then Madrid – the discrepancy couldn’t be much more blatant.