Cercle Brugge suffered a crushing defeat in the Jupiler Pro League on Sunday. After building a two-goal lead in the second half, the team completely collapsed and eventually lost 5-2 to Union St. Gilloise. This loss on 25 October confirms their difficult start to the season, with zero wins, three draws and five losses from eight games.
Steve Ngoura put Cercle Brugge ahead from the penalty spot in the 24th minute. "Steve Ngoura scoorde de 0-1," the striker said afterwards. Shortly after the break, victory seemed within reach when an own goal from Union defender Massire Sylla doubled the advantage. The match turned completely on its head within a quarter of an hour. Raul Florucz pulled one back before Sylla atoned for his own goal with a header. The final blow came in the 74th minute via an own goal from Cercle defender Emmanuel Kakou.
The situation worsened for Cercle Brugge when forward Dante Vanzeir was sent off in the 64th minute for a serious foul. Union fully exploited their numerical advantage and extended their lead further through Relebohile Mofokeng and Kevin Rodriguez to make it 5-2. The statistics underlined the home side's dominance, with 65% possession and 22 shots.
The defeat means Cercle Brugge remain in 18th and second-last place in the standings with three points from eight matches. The team has scored nine goals and conceded sixteen this season, a goal difference of minus seven. In the title race, they now trail leaders Gent by nineteen points. Recent form is a concern, with just one win, one draw and three losses in their last five league matches. Following the 5-2 loss at Union and the 1-2 win at Sporting Hasselt on 16 October, they also suffered defeats to Anderlecht (1-2) and Charleroi (3-2), and a draw with OH Leuven (1-1). The next chance for points is at home against Antwerp, currently in 11th place, on Sunday 1 November. The last meeting between the two sides, in January, ended in a 0-4 defeat for Cercle.
Manager Miron Muslic gave an explanation on Monday for the collapse against Union. "We completely lost our organization after the red card," Muslic said. The club confirmed the defeat leaves Cercle Brugge in 18th place with three points from nine games. The team has now scored 11 goals and conceded 21.
