Club Brugge reach Conference League semi-finals
No Belgian club had reached the last four of a European football competition since 1993. With their 2-0 win over PAOK in Greece, Club Brugge has turned in a historic performance!
Following a 1-0 win in the first leg, the Bruges players travelled to Greece with limited hopes. On paper, they didn't start out as favourites against their opponents PAOK, a team with a much better track record.
But just as the match got off to a slow start, the Belgian team sprang a surprise! Following an excellent cross from Sabbe, Jutglà cut the ball off perfectly to score in the 33rd minute.
After the first goal, Nicky Hayen's men kept control of the ball, with Jutglà scoring a second just before half-time.
This magnificent double from the Spanish player sees the "Black & Blues" qualifying for the semi-finals of the Conference League, thirty-one years after Royal Antwerp, the last Belgian club to have reached such heights in a European competition. In 1993, the Antwerp team even reached the final of the UEFA European Cup Winners' Cup (losing 3-1 at Wembley to Italy's Parma).
In the semi-finals, Club Brugge will face Italian side Fiorentina in a two-legged tie on 2 and 8 May.
So, go ahead and start dreaming of another final for a Belgian team...