Defender Bjorn Meijer helped Club Brugge to an important home win over competitor AA Gent. The 19-year-old born in Groningen gave the home team the lead more than fifteen minutes before the end in the Belgian regional derby with a handsome header. In injury time, Hans Vanaken made it 2-0 from a penalty kick.
Before the start it became clear how emotionally charged the game is for some fans. Vandals entered the stadium in Bruges in the night from Saturday to Sunday. Among other things, they damaged the turf and wrote ‘Fuck Bruges’ on a wall. The text 9K was painted in the center circle, referring to the postal code 9000 of Ghent.
Bruges, with Noa Lang in the starting line-up, was the better team at home and also created the most chances. Striker Ferran Jutglà, among others, came into a promising position in the second half, but he was not sharp in the completion. Moments later, Meijer came highest after a cross from right back Clinton Mata. The header of the former player of FC Groningen went into the goal via the bottom of the crossbar.
Bruges thus remains in the important fourth place. The lead on the club from Ghent is now 4 points. The top four teams qualify for the championship play-offs at the end of the regular season. Leader KRC Genk, however, has a big lead of 20 points over Bruges.
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