Carlos Forbs: "Deserved this win"
MVP of the game Carlos Forbs clinched it for Club with a massive second half strike.
"We played a very good game and we deserve to win here at home," match winner Forbs opened. "I got the ball not far from the center line and then just started my action. When I came inside I saw a small hole in the bottom right corner and I went for it 100%. It's a weapon of mine and I'm happy my action turned out well."
"I'm very happy here at Bruges. I can only thank my fellow players, the staff and the club for the confidence I get here," Forbs answered after being asked about the critique he got in the Netherlands.
Brandon Mechele: "You don't get many chances against Union"
"We did our job tonight, hardly giving away anything. We also tried playing our part in the build-up and that worked out quite nicely. Today we clearly had more control of the game than in previous games against Union. Yes, I think as a team we played a very good game against a very tough team. Only thing is that the goal could have come a little earlier, but you know that when you play against Union, you don't get many chances so we were very efficient. Our 1-0 win does put us back on their trail a little bit, and that in itself is very important. We now add the pressure on them a little bit. By the way, it's also the first time they lost this season, so that's saying something."
Nicky Hayen: "Keep pushing to get that win"
Club Brugge picked up a tonical win against Union. It took some time to find that opening, but Carlos Forbs finally handed Club the three points. Coach Nicky Hayen was very elated with the victory.
"Union's objective was clear early on: play a conservative game and try to grab the three points on a steal. They can do that very well and they have the players for that. We tried to push them in a patient and sensible way to look for that goal. You know you won't send them packing easily, they are far too solid for that. Above all, we wanted more movement in our game, but that didn't come out well enough in the first half. That penalty situation just before halftime was one of the few moments we were really dangerous. After halftime we switched Tzolis and Forbs to play more one-on-one. Above all, we had to be smarter and make better use of the spaces. But you know that, when you're against Union you have to be wary of those transitions as well. We showed throughout the game that we wanted to keep pushing to get that win and in the end, through that clever goal by Forbs, we did."
The Portuguese was a constant scourge for the Brussels defense and crowned himself match winner. However, when he came over from Ajax last summer, he also brought some criticism. "From day one, we gave him a lot of confidence. He wanted to pick things up quickly and also lies well in the group. Moreover, he was decisive straight on, as he was able to score in the preliminary round of the Champions League. That immediately gave him a boost of confidence. He really likes coming inside, but we are still working on it with him at training. According to us, he can switch between going inside and outside just a bit more often, to become even more unpredictable."
Hans Vanaken: "I had the feeling we were going to win"
Captain Vanaken was satisfied with his team's performance. "We didn't really get many chances against. I really had the feeling in the match that we were going to win. We weren't frustrated in the match because we knew we were better. When the 1-0 went in, a burden fell off our shoulders."
Vanaken was impressed with Union goalkeeper Scherpen's strong save on Stanković's peg: "That free kick by Stanković he catches great. We had to keep hoping the ball would fall well and it did. At the goal, maybe he looks a little off. He might have had that one then, but it goes in."
About the organization at Blauw-Zwart and the roles of him and Vermant, he is clear: "The roles of Vermant and me don't matter. There was no set pattern either. As a team we all had to go deep and get to the ball. It's a matter of doing that all mixed up. Romeo was rather false striker today and executed that well," said a satisfied captain.
Bjorn Meijer: "You always have to keep believing in it."
"I think we were clearly the better today," Bjorn Meijer spoke afterwards. "Really big chances we didn't actually have, but the fact that we played practically the entire game on their half gave the feeling that a goal would come sooner or later. Until the seventieth minute we had difficulty finding a hole in their defense. Although I thought Stanković's shot would go in, but not so. We know that against the Union block you can't force many chances, but you always have to keep believing in them, and clearly Carlos Forbs thought so too when he shot the ball hard into the right corner. It was important today to be able to keep the zero, which has been a while ago anyway. We've now won twice against the current leaders, namely at Union for the Super Cup and now at home in the regular league and that's pleasing, knowing that we're approaching them to within three points."