Cercle Brugge surrendered a late lead to lose 1-2 to Anderlecht in the Jupiler Pro League on Saturday. The home side took an early lead through Abdoulie Manneh but conceded goals from Tawfik Bentayeb and Adriano Bertaccini in the dying moments.
The defeat leaves Cercle Brugge firmly rooted to the bottom of the table, with just three points from their opening eight league matches. The team is still searching for its first win of the season and is on a four-game winless run.
Manneh put Cercle ahead in the 11th minute following an assist from Luka Le Roux. Miron Muslic's side held firm for long periods but saw their advantage disappear when Bentayeb equalised in the 86th minute. Then, with the final action of the match in the third second of added time, substitute Bertaccini headed home the winning goal.
Captain Hannes Van der Bruggen was critical of the late collapse. "Those defensive mistakes at the end cannot happen, especially not in the final minutes when you know anything can occur," he said. He also referenced the club's recurring struggles. "The past two years people also said we were too low in the table for what we showed, but we only just escaped the worst each time. We need to put together a run of results quickly now, because the other teams aren't going to keep losing either."
Cercle Brugge must now turn their attention to their next fixture, an away match against Union St. Gilloise on October 24. Their opponents currently sit fourth in the table, presenting another tough challenge. The full standings and fixtures schedule are available on the club site.
The report in full is at voetbalbelgie.be
