logo
Brugge's Champions League progress no surprise to coach

Brugge's Champions League progress no surprise to coach

Reuters19-02-2025
BERGAMO, Italy, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Club Brugge's elimination of Serie A side Atalanta in the Champions League playoffs on Tuesday was described as a shock in some quarters but did not surprise their coach Nicky Hayen in the slightest.
The Belgian side held a 2-1 advantage going into the second leg and romped to a 3-0 half-time lead in Italy to put the game beyond last season's Europa League winners.
Atalanta pulled a goal back 35 seconds into the second half but were unable to narrow the deficit further, with Ademola Lookman having a penalty saved by Simon Mignolet on the hour mark.
'We conceded that goal very quickly. Then we were lucky that Simon saved that penalty. We had to survive,' said Brugge coach Hayen.
'We knew in advance that the match would turn out like that and we could not put together any attacks. But I'm not going to blame my players. They all put their heads down and everyone did his part.'
Brugge were ahead after three minutes through teenager Chemsdine Talbi and he added a second midway through the half before Ferran Jutgla made it 3-0.
'It doesn't surprise me. We have so much quality,' Hayen added.
'If you play football with courage and confidence, you can get chances. So I didn't have to pinch myself.'
Brugge will meet either Aston Villa or Lille in the last 16.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Man Utd transfer news: Brighton make Carlos Baleba call as two new signings eyed
Man Utd transfer news: Brighton make Carlos Baleba call as two new signings eyed

Daily Mirror

time13 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

Man Utd transfer news: Brighton make Carlos Baleba call as two new signings eyed

Manchester United have spent big so far this summer, but Ruben Amorim remains keen to continue strengthening his squad with a new midfielder top of his shopping list The new season will get underway for Manchester United on Sunday when they host rivals Arsenal at Old Trafford. The Red Devils will be hoping to make a winning start as they look to bounce back from their worst Premier League finish last season. ‌ United finished 15th in the league and failed to qualify for the Champions League after they were beaten in the Europa League final by Tottenham. Ruben Amorim has strengthened his squad this summer, bringing in Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon. ‌ Marcus Rashford has left the club, joining Barcelona on loan with an option to buy, while Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof have been released and veteran defender Jonny Evans has retired. ‌ Baleba latest Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler says he is "very confident" that Carlos Baleba will not be sold this summer, despite strong interest from Old Trafford. When asked about the midfielder's future ahead of Brighton's opening game of the new season, Hurzeler said: "I didn't see any change, he's only changed his hair. I think that's the change he's made in the last two weeks. "But overall he seems to be in a really good place, he's enjoying it with his team-mates, he's enjoying being a Brighton player. I didn't see any big changes and he's an option to start tomorrow. Very very very confident [he will stay], that's just my belief." Two new signings eyed According to a report from the Sun, Manchester United are considering a move for Morten Hjulmand as a potential alternative to Carlos Baleba. The report states that the Sporting captain would 'cost less than half' what it would take to sign Baleba, with Hjulmand valued at around £50m. ‌ As a result, it is claimed that United could use the money saved by signing Hjulmand to fund a move for Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Paris Saint-Germain star is expected to leave this summer after they signed a new goalkeeper in Lucas Chevalier. Rashford warning Marcus Rashford has joined Barcelona on loan with an option to buy, having been frozen out at Old Trafford by Ruben Amorim. However, Steve McManaman believes the forward has no place at Barcelona. ‌ "It's certainly important that he hits the ground running," he said at an event with ESPN. "I thought it was an incredible move for him, to be very honest. The last couple of seasons at Manchester United, the way Manchester United performed - for him to leave and go to arguably one of the most exciting teams in Europe, I thought: 'He's got an amazing agent.' "Where's he going to fit in? The answer is, I don't know. Because Raphinha, Robert [Lewandowski] and Lamine [Yamal], they had the most incredible season. So you think that is set in stone. You've got Ferran [Torres] behind them. They've moved a couple of players out - if anything, when you look at Barcelona's team, they need a couple of more defenders... but they go and bring in yet another forward. So we'll wait and see."

Dane Murray celebrates contract with goal as Celtic ease past Falkirk
Dane Murray celebrates contract with goal as Celtic ease past Falkirk

North Wales Chronicle

time17 minutes ago

  • North Wales Chronicle

Dane Murray celebrates contract with goal as Celtic ease past Falkirk

The 22-year-old defender headed home Celtic's third goal of the second-round clash at Parkhead. Murray, who has already overcome two separate cruciate ligament injuries in his career, earlier signed a new deal that keeps him at the club until 2028. Daizen Maeda and Alistair Johnston were also on target and Falkirk defender Liam Henderson put through his own net before Keelan Adams scored an impressive consolation goal for the Premiership newcomers. Centre-back Murray was one of six players coming into the Celtic line-up alongside goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo, Auston Trusty, Arne Engels and Johnny Kenny. The Hoops beat then Championship side Falkirk 5-2 on their way to winning last season's tournament and this was another open encounter with both sides creating chances in the first half. Kenny volleyed wide early on after James Forrest's lay-off and former Celtic goalkeeper Scott Bain saved long-range strikes from Callum McGregor and Kieran Tierney before scrambling to meet Henderson's wayward passback, which just went wide. Ross MacIver dragged a shot wide at the other end after a loose pass from Murray. The breakthrough came in the 26th minute after McGregor returned the ball into the box following a corner. Tierney ran on to meet the cross and nodded the ball down for Maeda to score with a diving header. There were further chances at each end before the break. Sinisalo saved brilliantly from Calvin Miller's 25-yard strike before denying Alfredo Agyeman and MacIver. Engels and Forrest missed close-range headers at the other end. Celtic were more dominant after the break and doubled their lead in the 54th minute after Falkirk lost possession from a throw-in. Johnston chased down Miller as the former Celtic player headed back towards his own goal and the right-back won the ball before curling into the far corner with his left foot. Murray got his big moment in the 61st minute when he headed home from an inswinging corner from Engels. Celtic went further ahead three minutes later as Yang Hyun-jun made an instant impact after coming on with home debutant Shin Yamada. The South Korean winger ran past two opponents after Celtic won the ball back deep in the Bairns half, and his low ball across the goalmouth was turned into his own net by Henderson. The noisy visiting fans got a chance to celebrate three minutes later when right-back Adams arrowed a shot into the top corner from 20 yards. That ended the flurry of goals as Celtic safely navigated their way into Saturday evening's quarter-final draw and avoided any injuries ahead of their Champions League play-off first leg against Kairat Almaty on Wednesday.

Brendan Rodgers: Sky's the limit for Dane Murray after scoring in Celtic cup tie
Brendan Rodgers: Sky's the limit for Dane Murray after scoring in Celtic cup tie

North Wales Chronicle

time17 minutes ago

  • North Wales Chronicle

Brendan Rodgers: Sky's the limit for Dane Murray after scoring in Celtic cup tie

The 22-year-old headed home Celtic's third goal from an Arne Engels corner as the Hoops beat Falkirk 4-1 at Parkhead to reach the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals. The central defender made his first appearances for Celtic in the Champions League play-offs against Midtjylland in 2021 but subsequently suffered two separate cruciate ligament injuries and did not play another first-team game for three years. He was recalled from a loan spell at Queen's Park midway through last season but injury ended his campaign prematurely after he returned to the Celtic team. However, he was one of six players drafted in by Rodgers for the cup tie and he took his chance with a deft header from close range. Rodgers said: 'It's great for him because he's a great boy. He's got a lot of potential. And I think over the next 12 to 18 months, he's going to really grow. 'His ceiling is so high. There's areas of the game that he needs to clearly, obviously, work on. 'But he's 6ft 4in, he's quick, he can take the ball. He has a comfort with the ball which aligns with top players. 'Just, concentration is something that's key for defenders. But I really, really like him and that's hence the reason we've tied him down – and I think he's got a great future.' Daizen Maeda scored the only goal of an open first half with a diving header and Celtic took full control after the break with a flurry of goals from Alistair Johnston, Murray and Liam Henderson's own goal, before Keelan Adams notched an impressive consolation. 'I thought the performance was very, very good from the first whistle,' Rodgers said. 'You've seen the hunger in the team and the intensity in the team. 'The first half we were good with the ball, but not so good without it. It gave Falkirk a couple of wee opportunities to break through. 'We weren't aggressive enough and tight enough. When we corrected that at half-time, we really dominated the second half. 'The goals were excellent and I thought we played really, really well.' Falkirk manager John McGlynn was frustrated that two Celtic goals came from set-pieces and two others came from his side losing possession deep in their own half. But he was pleased with the way his top-flight newcomers approached the challenge. 'Kind of cheap goals, but Celtic deserved to win by that margin,' he said. 'Of course they did with the amount of pressure they had on us, the amount of corners and the amount of attempts. So I didn't have any complaints about that. 'We were kind of causing our own downfall, but I thought Celtic were very, very good. And we'll need to take learnings from that. 'But you're spending millions of pounds building a team like that. And I know the Celtic fans are still wanting more signings, but there didn't look much wrong with that team to me.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store