Cercle Brugge secured a point from a late penalty in stoppage time to draw 1-1 with OH Leuven at Den Dreef. The visitors fought back from a goal down to earn a valuable away result.
OH Leuven started the brighter side and took the lead in the 25th minute when 18-year-old winger Davis Opoku, the youngest player on the field, finished off a assist from Siebe Schrijvers. The teenager made a sharp run and slotted the ball home at the near post.
Cercle Brugge struggled to break down the home defence despite early chances for Vanzeir, who set up an opportunity, and Nunes, who struck the post. OH Leuven also had chances, with Schrijvers hitting the post and Traoré hitting the crossbar before halftime.
After the break, Cercle Brugge increased the pressure and began to dominate possession. The pressure continued to build but clear chances remained scarce until the 88th minute, when OH Leuven goalkeeper Van den Heuvel made a fingertip save to deny Kouassi from a header. The goalkeeper later said: "This is indescribable. I haven’t seen the incident back, but to concede a goal like that after all the hard work is really painful."
The turning point came in stoppage time. A handball by Gil of OH Leuven was reviewed by VAR, leading referee Van Driessche to award a penalty to Cercle Brugge. Kouassi stepped up and calmly converted the spot-kick in the 90+6th minute.
The match ended shortly after in a 1-1 draw, leaving both teams with one point each. Cercle Brugge now has two points from five matches, sitting 14th in the Jupiler Pro League with a goal difference of -5 from five goals scored and ten conceded. They are 13 points behind league leaders Gent.
Their recent form reads two draws and three losses from the last five games, most recently this draw. For OH Leuven, who remain pointless after five matches, it was a bitter blow, as head coach Timmy Simons said: "It’s a bitter pill. We have to keep going, because we were so close today."
Cercle Brugge now turn their attention to the next fixture, an away trip to Charleroi on 19 September 2026. Charleroi currently sit fourth in the table. The last time these two met, in February 2026, Cercle Brugge won 4-3.
The team can take encouragement from the second-half performance, where they created chances and applied sustained pressure. Earning a point on the road against a determined side gives momentum for the challenges ahead.
The focus now shifts to the visit to Charleroi, where Cercle Brugge will look to build on this result and show they can take something positive from the draw into the next game.
