Referee Godinho appointed for Brugge-Lens, Cercle recall Molde defeat

Portuguese referee Luis Godinho has been appointed to officiate the Champions League match between Club Brugge and RC Lens on Wednesday. For Cercle Brugge, the name Godinho recalls a painful European night, as he took charge of their 3-0 defeat to Molde in a Europa League qualifier two years ago.

Godinho, a 40-year-old official, has been operating at the top level in Portugal since 2015. He made his European debut in that Molde versus Cercle Brugge fixture. He has since overseen three Champions League matches, including Inter versus Kairat Almaty and AEK Athens versus LASK. Across his career, he has shown 2129 yellow cards and 59 direct red cards.

Cercle's league focus

While attention in Bruges turns to the European fixture, Cercle Brugge are focused on addressing their poor start to the Jupiler Pro League season. The team currently sits 18th with just three points from eight matches, following a run of one win, one draw, and three defeats in their last five games. Their most recent victory came last week against Sporting Hasselt (1-2), with goals from A. Manneh and S. Ngoura. That win followed a 1-2 loss to Anderlecht, in which Manneh scored again, and prior matches against Charleroi (a 3-2 defeat), OH Leuven (a 1-1 draw), and Gent (a 0-3 loss).

The next fixture, an away match against strong fourth-placed Union St. The side has scored nine goals and conceded sixteen this season, a negative goal difference of seven. Trailing league leaders Gent by nineteen points, the need to pick up points is urgent.

Godinho's appointment for the top-tier clash at the Jan Breydel Stadium marks his continued rise. He officiated his first intercontinental match three years after his European debut. For Cercle Brugge, the focus remains on reversing their league form, far from the European spotlight where a familiar referee now stands.

The report in full is at voetbalkrant.com