Latest news with #UnionSaintGilloise
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Belgian Pro League Review: Matchweek 1
The 123rd season of the Belgian Pro League got underway this weekend, with eight fixtures setting a high standard for the campaign. Kicking off with Friday night's enthralling clash between Royal Antwerp and reigning champions Union Saint-Gilloise, the league's opening matchweek provided 24 goals, one red card, and some truly dramatic results as the formative table took its early form. Read on as we look back on the action as 2025-26 burst into life. Friday's Opener: Royal Antwerp 1-1 Union Saint-Gilloise Despite having one less tribune thanks to redevelopment, Antwerp's Bosuilstadion was bouncing on Friday night as RAFC welcomed the defending champions USG. This game steadily developed into a frenetic pace, and ultimately saw both sides work up a total of 25 fouls between them. This gritty nature was especially prevalent in the first period, when the game's major flashpoint arose. A Union corner saw Promise David head on target, only for Vincent Janssen to block on the line with his hand. After a brief delay, VAR gave a penalty to the visitors. Somehow, Janssen escaped with a yellow card. David stepped up and drove low at Senne Lammens' bottom-right corner, but the high-potential keeper added to his increasing repertoire to tip away brilliantly. Of course, to Union's frustration, it was Janssen who struck the go-ahead goal for Antwerp. The Dutchman got off the mark for the season by bending a great effort through a crumbling wall into the bottom right corner. The second half saw Antwerp continue to marshal Promise David excellently, leading to his withdrawal just before the hour. That said, their inability to stop two alternative USG talents proved decisive for the game's leveller in the 68th minute. Ousseynou Niang burst away on a devastating counter, before sliding in Raul Florucz on the right. Darting into the box, the Austrian slid a fine effort past Lammens into the bottom right to restore parity. Saturday: Zulte Waregem draw with Mechelen, Standard bring RAAL down to earth After a goalless stalemate between Dender and Cercle Brugge, Saturday's action continued with Friday's ferocity, as Zulte Waregem rescued a precious point against Mechelen right at the death. Mechelen initially took the lead in the 16th minute, as Lion Lauberbach continued where he left off last season (eight goals in 35 games). This was one of few successful moves, mind, as the newly-promoted hosts spent the majority of the game on top. They peppered their visitors' final third with a total of 21 shots to garner a 2.34 xG. Mechelen clung on, but ultimately succumbed to the pressure with a late penalty – of which resident veteran Jelle Vossen converted coolly in the 100th minute. While Essevee were able to salvage something on their Belgian Pro League return, RAAL La Louvière were less fortunate. The misfiring hosts couldn't mark their 20-year absence in the first tier with a win, and were immediately downed by a fifth-minute strike from Thomas Henry before Marco Ilaimaharitra added a decisive sucker-punch from the spot just before the first half was out. Anderlecht put on a Sunday showcase with Westerlo drubbing, Club Brugge bounce back, and Charleroi and STVV leave it VERY late Anderlecht began their campaign, and Sunday's action, with a huge 5-2 victory against Westerlo. Exciting prospect Nathan De Cat won the ball high and then slid in Thorgan Hazard smartly for the opener 19 minutes in. The hosts doubled their lead with another young star shining brightly on 37′. After being played in by Nilson Angulo from the left, Tristan Degreef lobbed Andreas Jungdal with aplomb. The second half opened with Kyan Vaesen notching one back, before Matija Frigan made it a relatively quick one-two as he made it 2-2 12 minutes later. Just as Westerlo looked to get the wind in their sails, Anderlecht deflated their hopes with a moment of magic from Angulo in the 65th minute. Jinking back from the left flank, the Ecuadorian curled a beautiful effort high into the top-right corner. Five minutes later, Nathan Saliba latched onto a fine Ludwig Augustinsson delivery to nod in from close range, before Hazard powered home his brace in the 92nd minute after Mario Stroeykens was blocked. OH Leuven began very brightly against Charleroi, and initially looked to dispel any inclination that Les Zèbres' last season form may carry over into 2025-26. Mathieu Maertens opened the scoring three minutes in, before a late Youssef Maziz drive from the left on 79′ looked to have Charleroi beaten. However, a closing resurgence saw Antoine Bernier and then Vetle Dragsnes break OHL hearts in the final stages of added time. Sandwiched between more late drama, Club Brugge prevailed 2-1 against Genk after initially going one down inside the first 10 minutes thanks to a dagger from Hyun-Gyu Oh. A strong, and somewhat eventful, second half saw the hosts bounce back after a scrambling close-range effort from Joel Ordonez just after the hour. Fellow centre-back Brandon Mechele notched the winner with a sweeping shot in the 81st minute, before Ordonez stole the limelight once more, although this time for the wrong reasons. He was dismissed for comically hauling down Tolu Arokodare as the last man. The final game of the matchweek drew the weekend to a close in suitably frenetic style, as St. Truiden and Gent cooked up a storm at the Daio Wasabi Stayen Stadium. This later kick-off ultimately culminated in a dramatic final 15 minutes. First, STVV took the lead through a Leonardo Lopes own goal on 77′. Then, Wilfried Kanga drew Gent level from the spot six minutes later. With a 1-1 seemingly on the cards, De Kanaries went into overdrive in the latter exchanges. Adriano Bertaccini looped home a deflected long shot in the 88th minute, before Ryotaro Ito sealed the two-goal deficit with a smart finish into the bottom-left corner. League table after Matchweek 1 Top goalscorers after Matchweek 1 GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield
BBC News
6 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Goalkeeper Scherpen signs for Union Saint-Gilloise
Goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen has completed a move to Belgian Pro League side Union 25-year-old, who signed from Ajax in July 2021, made just one senior appearance for the Seagulls before loan spells with Oostende and Vitesse spent last season at Sturm Graz, where he made 36 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga and Champions technical director David Weir said: "Kjell is at the stage of his career where he wants a permanent move, and this is a great opportunity for him at a club who won the Belgian League last season."We thank him for his services and wish him all the best for the future."
The Guardian
23-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
What is the longest gap between European top-flight football derbies?
'Paris FC's promotion means that Paris will have its first Ligue 1 derby since 1978-79. Is there any European city that has had a longer gap between top-flight derbies?' queries Steve Whittaker from Frankfurt (which hasn't had a top-flight derby in the Bundesliga era). We've touched on this before, many years ago, when we found a 44-year gap between the meeting of Hertha Berlin and FC Union and a 48-year wait for FSV v Eintracht in Steve's home city. However both derbies reconvened in the second tier and don't count here. So it is well worth us having a drill down into some top-flight derby deserts. The 46-year wait for Paris bragging rights to be earned is indeed a long one, particularly for a capital city. Dirk Maas takes us to the Belgian capital, Brussels, where fans of Anderlecht and Union Saint-Gilloise had to wait from the 1972-73 season (when Union were relegated) until 2021-22. We don't have the exact date of the the derby that took place in the early 1970s, but that adds up to at least 48 years. 'Zenit regularly played Dynamo Saint Petersburg in the Soviet top flight between 1938 and 1963, when Dynamo were relegated,' writes Peter Skilton. 'It wouldn't be until the 2017-18 season, when FK Tosno (from the Town of Tosno but playing at Zenit's former home of the Petrovsky Stadium in the Saint Petersburg) were promoted, that they played another local derby in the top flight. Tosno only lasted one season before being relegated and leaving Zenit as once again the only club in the city.' We make that 54 years. But Lino Di Lorenzo has been in touch to set the record straight on the original question and offer a few other examples. 'My research suggests that Paris actually had its last league derby in 1989-90 (not 1979) when Racing Club de Paris were relegated from Ligue 1, so it will mean a 36-year gap. A long time, but not the longest (although probably the most surprising). The answer depends on whether you limit yourself to European capitals, or cities with populations of more than, say, one million.' Any European city is fine, Lino, so fire away: Valencia had no derby between Valencia and Levante in La Liga between 10 January 1965 and 8 January 2005 (40 years). Berlin had no Bundesliga derby between 1977 (Hertha Berlin v Tennis Borussia Berlin) until 2019 (Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin – 42 years). There were Berlin derbies in the old East German league, but teams from West Berlin would not have been able to participate in those. Cologne has no league derby since 1974 (FC Köln v Fortuna Köln) but those two did meet in the 1982 DFB Pokal Cup, but that doesn't count. So the gap is active at 51 years. Finally, Naples has never had a Serie A derby at all. To get close to one, you need to venture back to the pre-Serie A days of 1921 when the Italian Championship involved a series of mini-leagues leading to a final round-robin. In the last round before it entered the final phase in 1921, three teams from Naples played each other in a mini league – Bagnolese, Internazionale Napoli, and Naples Foot-Ball Club. Bagnolese have since dissolved, and the other two merged in 1926 to form what is now Napoli. So that could be 105 years and counting. Lino also points out that Ajax have not had a top-flight derby in quite some time. FC Amsterdam were relegated in 1978 and went out of business in 1982. So that's 47 years and counting. But Mykola Kozlenko has perhaps found two potential answers. The first is the biggest 'pure' gap, which he thinks is 92 years, in Lausanne, between 1930-31 and 2023-24. 'Only one team from Lausanne were regulars at the top level, namely Lausanne-Sports. However, unusual regulations in the 1930-31 season meant that several second-tier teams were promoted mid-season. Racing Lausanne were one of them, leading to a derby against Lausanne-Sports on 1 February 1931. In the 2023-24 season, two Lausanne teams were promoted to the Swiss Super League: Lausanne-Sport and Stade Lausanne-Ouchy (the latter last played at the top level in the inaugural 1897-98 season – a 126-year gap). The first of the two Lausanne derbies happened on 21 October 2023.' The longest 'ongoing' streak without a derby from active teams is 104 years, in Bradford, since 1920-21. 'There used to be a Bradford derby at the top level. The last top-level game took place on 2 October 1920. With Bradford City in League One and Bradford (Park Avenue) playing in the eighth tier now, this derby is not exactly expected to happen again in the Premier League any time soon.' Get in touch if you have any more to add to the list. We have another good one to add to the list … Here's Tom Berrett to introduce him. 'Spurs once signed a player called Rodrigo Defendi – a centre-back, no less.' Yes, he was signed as a 16-year-old in 2005 having been spotted by Frank Arnesen, but at such a tender age the Brazilian was never given a first-team start by Martin Jol. He did go on to have a decent career, though, winning the Coppa Italia with Roma, the Portuguese Cup with Vitória de Guimarães and the league title with Botafogo. Last month we looked at players who had scored more goals for their country than their clubs. Sam McIlwaine has a cracking example from the present day: the young West Brom and Northern Ireland midfielder Isaac Price, whose career record is a thing of trivialicious beauty. Clubs: two goals, 75 appearances (one every 37.5 games) Country: nine goals, 22 appearances (one every 2.44 games) And there's another player to keep your eye on too. 'This weekend the state leagues in Brazil finally came to a close,' wrote Paulo Padilha in May 2012. 'Bahia ended a 11-year trophy drought when they were crowned champions over local rivals Vitória and I couldn't help but notice that the trophy they were lifting was in the shape of an elevator. In this case it was one of the landmarks of the city of Salvador. Are there other examples of trophies that don't conform to the usual cup/vase/shield/pedestal-thingy shapes?' Brazilian state federations seem the chief culprits here, as Paulo went on to explain: 'Over the years the state championships have provided several trophies in the shape of buildings. The federation of Rio Grande do Norte presented another replica of a local landmark in addition to the regular trophy that changes hands from year to year, while the Santa Catarina and São Paulo federations have been known to hand out replicas of their own headquarters. The São Paulo federation even had a somewhat traditional trophy in the shape of the state's gubernatorial palace, that was around for several years and required several people to carry it.' A 2025 update: we now have the Club World Cup trophy to add to the list. 'England and Germany are in the Women's Euro 2025 semi-finals (at the time of writing). If they meet in the final, it could mean Jess Carter of England playing for the trophy against her fiancée, Ann-Katrin Berger of Germany. Have two spouses or partners ever played against each other in a competitive match?' enquires Ciaran McCarthy (Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema missed each other by a matter of minutes earlier in Euro 2025). 'In the recent England v Sweden Euro 2025 penalty shootout, only five of the 14 penalties taken were scored – a success rate of 36%. Statistically, is this the worst penalty shootout in an international competition? What about club competitions?' asks Derek Robertson. 'If a player has been sent off in a knockout tie that goes to penalties, it's possible that the shootout could continue long enough that the offending team's first penalty taker will take a second spot-kick up against the opposition's last penalty taker. Has this ever happened?' muses Chris Carter. 'Has any club ever won such a pair of disparate trophies, in terms of breadth and depth of opposition, as the Conference League and the swivelling saucer that Chelsea just won?' wonders Paul Crawford. 'My only offer is Celtic in 1967 winning the European Cup and the Glasgow Cup?' 'Malmö and Copenhagen were drawn to face each other in Champions League qualifying, presuming they win their respective ties first,' writes Jack B. 'They played each other in the 2019-20 Europa League too. These two cities are approximately 26 miles apart. Is this the closest European tie between two teams in different associations?' Mail us with your questions and answers
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bremen extend contract of key midfielder
Belgian midfielder Senne Lynen signs a new contract with Bremen after two successive seasons with the club. The 26-year-old joined the Bundesliga side from Union Saint-Gilloise for a reported €2.5 million fee in 2023. While the Belgian club has won both the cup and the league since his departure, Lynen has been a key player in Bremen's midfield. Before the defensive midfielder, Bremen gave youngsters Patrice Covic and Karim Coulibaly new contracts. "Senne strongly identifies with Werder and the path we have taken here. He has clearly committed to this,' said the head of professional football, Peter Niemeyer. The player also left a very good impression on the new coach. "In the first few days, I've seen that Senne is an intelligent and confident footballer who can provide important impetus to our game from the defensive midfield,' said Horst Steffen. 'Therefore, I'm looking forward to continuing to work with him." "I feel very comfortable in Bremen – both in the city with my family and at the club," said the player after signing a new deal. "We have made very good progress with the team over the past two years, and I am very keen to take further steps with the club. That's why I have decided to extend my contract early."
New York Times
09-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Brighton winger Simon Adingra closing in on Sunderland transfer
Brighton & Hove Albion winger Simon Adingra is closing in on a permanent move to Sunderland. The 23-year-old arrived in the north east for a medical on Wednesday, ahead of completing a deal worth up to €21million (£18.1m) up front, plus €3m (£2.59m) in add-ons. If the deal is completed, the Ivory Coast international will become Sunderland's sixth signing of a busy summer transfer window. Adingra joined Brighton from Danish side FC Nordsjælland in the summer of 2022 and spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise. In his two seasons at Brighton, he has scored 12 goals and laid on five assists in 73 games for the club. He has also scored two goals in 14 appearances for the Ivory Coast, playing a pivotal role in their Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 2024. Advertisement The Athletic previously reported on the possibility of forward departures from Brighton this summer. Winger Ibrahim Osman's season-long loan move to Auxerre was confirmed on Tuesday, while AS Roma are working on a deal to sign striker Evan Ferguson on loan. Amario Cozier-Duberry's season-long loan move to Bolton Wanderers was confirmed on Saturday. Facundo Buonanotte and Julio Enciso, who, alongside Ferugson, both had loan spells at other Premier League clubs last season, could also be on the move this summer. This summer, newly-promoted Sunderland have completed the signings of Chemsdine Talbi, Habib Diarra, Noah Sadiki, Reinildo Mandava, and the permanent signing of Enzo Le Fee. By Brighton reporter Andy Naylor Simon Adingra moving to Sunderland is an unexpected twist to Brighton's summer trading. It began when the window opened on June 1 with the official announcement of the £10million signing of winger Tommy Watson from Sunderland. Landing the 19-year-old is part of the reason why Brighton are comfortable in sending Adingra the other way, ensuring a healthy profit on the £6m they paid Danish club Nordsjaelland in June 2022. Watson's arrival increases the competition for places in wide areas. Adingra only made 12 Premier League starts last season amid question marks about the 23-year-old's reliability out of possession under head coach Fabian Hurzeler. Adingra has not recaptured the form that made him a hero of Ivory Coast's Africa Cup of Nations triumph at the start of 2024. He provided assists for both goals in the host country's 2-1 win against Nigeria in the final of the tournament.
