Union Saint-Gilloise (USG) fans crowded the municipality of Saint-Gilles on Thursday night to celebrate the teams' first trophy in nearly 90 years.
Supporters of the south Brussels club flooded the neighbourhood after returning from the Roi Baudouin Stadium in Heysel, where USG beat Antwerp 1-0 in the Belgian Cup final with a goal from Kiko Machida just before half time.
The team had won their last Belgian Cup in 1914, and had not won a trophy since 1935, at a time when they were Belgium's most successful clubs with eleven league titles. The club experienced serious decline after being relegated in the 1970s, but returned to the top of Belgian football in 2021.
From the Joseph Marien Stadium to the Parvis de Saint-Gilles and the commune in Place Van Meenen, Thursday night in Saint-Gilles was a sea of blue and yellow celebrating this historic trophy win.
Here are photos, taken by Belga News Agency's photographer Nicolas Maeterlinck.
Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Union supporters gather for the celebrations. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Union supporters gather for the celebrations. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Union supporters gather for the celebrations. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Union supporters gather for the celebrations. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Union supporters gather for the celebrations. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Union supporters gather for the celebrations. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
