Latest news with #SebastienPocognoli
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Promise David delivers Union St Gilloise their first title since 1935
Promise David was the hero for Union St Gilloise this afternoon after he came off the bench to score twice and secure the side their first top flight Belgian title since 1935. Union, one of the most successful sides in Belgium prior to the Second World War, have had to wait 90 long years to add title number 12 to their trophy collection. Yet, after a 3-1 home win over Gent on Sunday afternoon, the side could finally celebrate. At 1-1 after half-time, Promise David was introduced by Sebastien Pocognoli and made an instant impact. His physicality was too much for the Gent defence to handle and he punished them for it. Prior to this, the Buffaloes defence had appeared pretty comfortable facing Franjo Ivanovic (scorer of the opening goal) and Mohamed Fuseini. Yet David's ability to hold the ball up and turn his defender saw him create a chance with almost his first touch. The striker then slotted his first goal in the 68th minute, a fine finish into the corner. He grabbed his second in the 75th to send the Josef Marien wild with celebrations. Advertisement Union had started the game well, taking the lead after 10 minutes. However, Gent had equalised through Andri Gudjohnsen just before half-time to make it a nervous interval for the fans and players. With Club Brugge also drawing, if Union could not find a winner then they left themselves vulnerable to a Club victory over Antwerp. Yet Promise delivered the final blow and a well deserved title for a club that has come so close on many occasions since their return to the top flight in 2021. After their cup win last year, Union can really call themselves one of the premier sides in Belgian football once again. GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson
The Star
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
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)
Reuters
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Union Saint-Gilloise end 90-year wait for Belgian league title
May 25 (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.
CNA
25-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Union Saint-Gilloise end 90-year wait for Belgian league title
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.
Fox Sports
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
After 90-year wait, tiny Union can seal Belgian title on final weekend for European soccer leagues
Associated Press Maybe this is the year that Union Saint-Gilloise finally wins the Belgian league title. It's been a 90-year wait. The small club in Brussels loved by the city's international community takes a one-point lead into the final round Sunday after near misses in the past three seasons — their first in the top tier since 1973. 'The fact that we are in this position is the reward for the hard work that has been going on here for years,' Union's 37-year-old coach Sebastien Pocognoli said Friday, in comments reported by Belgian daily Het Nieuwsblad. Elsewhere, league titles in Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Poland will be decided this weekend before the European club season peaks with the Champions League final. Union's time has come? Twice, in 2022 and 2024, Union led the regular season standings then faded in the championship playoffs to let Club Brugge take the title. The epic 2023 title race had a dramatic ending when a helicopter carrying league officials and the trophy had to turn away from Union's tiny Joseph Marien Stadium. Three teams separately held the lead in the in-play standings in the closing minutes — including Union in the 89th — before Royal Antwerp seized the title in stoppage time. Only Union and Brugge are in contention Sunday when both have home games. Union hosts Gent and Brugge plays Antwerp. Union will seal its first title since 1935 with a win. A tie on points sends the title to Brugge on a tiebreaker of higher position in the regular season. Union had a slow start under new coach Pocognoli, after more sales of star players for eight-figure fees. Led by goals from Promise David, Union moved up to third in the regular standings. This time, Genk was the leader that collapsed in the playoffs. Union surged with a run of five clean sheets including a 1-0 win at Brugge on April 24 to go top for the first time. 'We have everything in our own hands, that is the reality,' said Pocognoli, who won a Dutch league title with AZ Alkmaar when coached by Louis van Gaal. Salzburg's slump The decline of Salzburg seems more than a one-season blip, even if the team is heading to the FIFA Club World Cup next month. A 10-year run of Austrian Bundesliga titles ended last year, finishing runner-up, and Salzburg is fourth entering the final round. Qualifying rounds for the third-tier Conference League beckon. "The way we've performed this season, we probably have no place in the Champions League,' Salzburg coach Thomas Letsch acknowledged. Letsch arrived in midseason to replace Pep Lijnders, an assistant to Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool, who lasted just a few months and oversaw a series of Champions League losses. Salzburg finished 34th in the 36-team league and Sturm Graz was 30th. Sturm enters the final Bundesliga round Saturday three points clear, needing a draw at home to third-placed Wolfsberg to retain its title. Austria Vienna in second hosts last-place Linz and will win the title on head-to-head tiebreakers if points are tied. It could be a three-way tie if Wolfsberg beats Sturm. Can Poznan do it in Poland? To this generation of fans, Lech Poznan is best known for a unique celebration that was adopted by Manchester City supporters after their Europa League games in 2010. Doing 'The Poznan' means fans turn their backs to the field, link arms and jump up and down in unison. It has never been done in the Champions League by Lech fans. Maybe next season. Lech goes into the final round with a one-point lead over Rakow Czestochowa, the 104-year-old club which won its first title in 2023. On Saturday evening, Lech hosts mid-table Piast Gliwice and Rakow hosts Widzew Lodz. If they finish tied on points, Rakow wins on head-to-head record. Keane in Hungary Ferencvaros coach Robbie Keane's team needs only a draw to clinch the Hungarian title, after he took over the club in January. Ferencvaros's final game is Saturday evening at ETO Gyor, when second-place Puskas Akademia hosts Diosgyor. Seeking a seventh straight title, Ferencvaros can miss out only with a loss and a win for Puskas, which would take the title on a tiebreaker of most games won. Puskas is from the tiny village of Felcsút that has close ties to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Dinamo's drive Entering May, Dinamo Zagreb was third in the Croatian standings and had just fired coach Fabio Cannavaro, the Italian 2006 World Cup-winning captain. Somehow, Dinamo kicks off the final games Sunday on top of a three-way race. Dinamo has beaten both title rivals, Hajduk Split then Rijeka, this month ahead of hosting fourth-placed Varaždin under interim coach Sandro Perković. Rijeka could have sealed the title last weekend but lost 2-1 at Hajduk, whose coach Gennaro Gattuso – another 2006 World Cup winner – says he will leave. Rijeka, which is tied on points with Dinamo, hosts Slaven Belupo. Hajduk is two points back and goes to relegated Šibenik. If all three contenders finish on 63 points, Gattuso's Hajduk will be champion. ___ AP soccer:
