Club advances to the final of the Croky Cup after a 1-1 draw at the Cegeka Arena against KRC Genk! Tomorrow, the Blues will find out who they will face at the Heizel. Discover the first reactions from Golden Boot winner Hans Vanaken and Nordin Jackers.
Hans Vanaken: "We deserve to be in the final."
"This has been a great couple of days for me. It would have been tough to win the Golden Boot and then get knocked out just before the final, but now I can enjoy both. Both teams had their chances today; it really came down to the details. Tolu and Tzolis both hit the crossbar—it could have gone either way. Sometimes you need a bit of luck, and today we had that. These were two good matches against Genk, and we deserve to be in the final.
Nordin (Jackers) always seizes his opportunities when he plays. Today, once again, he played a crucial role in the match and kept us in the game at key moments. I have yet to win a final with Club, but now I have another chance, and I absolutely want to take it!"
Nordin Jackers: "Qualifying feels great!"
A beaming Nordin Jackers after the match. With several outstanding saves, he prevented Racing Genk from scoring.
"Of course, I didn’t do this alone. We knew it was going to be a tough match. We struggled more in possession during the first five minutes, and they had the upper hand then. In the second half, you know you have to take your chances because they are pushing for a second goal. We didn't convert our chances, but I think we defended very well."
It was almost 2-1, but Club’s backup goalkeeper had other plans—he made a crucial save and denied Genk a late lead with a quick foot reflex. "It's a cliché, but that’s why I’m here. If you can make that one big save, it boosts your confidence. Against such a strong opponent, you know they have the quality to score, so I’m happy we’re taking the 1-1 back to Bruges. Looking at the whole team and how we worked today, in a difficult match and with our busy schedule, I think this qualification really feels good.
I'm happy to be playing matches. I had a conversation with the coach—it wasn’t guaranteed from the start that I would get the Cup matches, but getting these minutes feels great. Hopefully, I’ll get to play in the final as well, but we’ll see." concluded the backup goalkeeper after an excellent performance.