Club Brugge’s stunning victory over Serie A club Atalanta in the Champions League playoffs on Tuesday took some by surprise, but their manager Nicky Hayen (44) was completely unfazed.
The Belgian outfit entered the second leg with a 2-1 lead and quickly established a dominating 3-0 advantage by half-time in Italy, effectively sealing the fate of last season’s Europa League champions.
Atalanta managed to pull one back just 35 seconds into the second half, but they were unable to reduce the gap any further, with Simon Mignolet denying Ademola Lookman from the spot around the hour mark.
“We conceded that goal very early on, but fortunately, Simon saved that penalty. We had to dig deep,” commented Brugge’s coach Hayen.
“We anticipated that the match might unfold this way and struggled to create attacks. However, I won’t place any blame on my players. Everyone worked hard and contributed.”
Brugge took the lead within three minutes thanks to teenager Chemsdine Talbi, who netted a second goal midway through the half before Ferran Jutgla sealed the scoreline at 3-0.
“This outcome doesn’t surprise me; we possess a lot of quality,” Hayen stated.
“When you play with courage and confidence, chances will come. So there was no need for me to pinch myself.”
Brugge will face either Aston Villa or Lille in the round of 16.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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