Soccer-Union Saint-Gilloise end 90-year wait for Belgian league title
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Europa League - FC Twente v Union Saint-Gilloise - De Grolsch Veste, Enschede, Netherlands - November 28, 2024 Union Saint-Gilloise coach Sebastien Pocognoli before the match REUTERS/Yves Herman/File photo
(Reuters) - Union Saint-Gilloise ended their 90-year wait for the Belgian league title but had to endure a nervy afternoon before beating visitors Gent 3-1 on Sunday to finish three points ahead of second-place Club Brugge.
The Brussels club went agonisingly close in the last two seasons and faced the potential of another last-day calamity before substitute Promise David came on in the second half to score twice in the space of seven minutes and ensure their title triumph.
Union started the season's last matchday on Sunday one point ahead of defending champions Club Brugge, who were hosting Antwerp, and all looked to be going to plan when Franjo Ivanovic put Union 1-0 up after 11 minutes.
The permutations got even better for Union when Antwerp went ahead at Club Brugge but on the stroke of halftime Gent equalised through Andri Gudjohnsen while at the same time in Bruges the hosts got back level with Antwerp.
Union remained tenuously in top spot as the second half in both matches kicked off until the Canadian-born David came off the bench to steer home his first in the 68th minute and then head home another in the 75th minute to kick off the celebrations at Brussels' compact Stade Joseph Marien.
Union, coached by 37-year-old former West Bromwich Albion and Brighton defender Sebastien Pocognoli, ended the season with 56 points while Club Brugge, whose game with Antwerp ended 1-1, finished with 53.
Formed in 1897, Union won 11 league titles between 1904 and their last in 1935 but went into serious decline in the early 1960s after being relegated, ending up in the fourth tier of Belgian football some two decades later.
But a revival sparked by investment from Tony Bloom, the owner of English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, saw Union move up to the second division and then win promotion to the top flight in 2021 after a 48-year absence.
They finished runners-up in their first season back and then came within minutes of the title before having it snatched away in a dramatic finish to the 2022-23 campaign.
They were second again last year, a point behind Club Brugge but finally got over the line on Sunday.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Davis)
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