Union Saint-Gilloise won the Belgian Super Cup 2-1 against Club Brugge thanks to goals from Cameron Puertas (40th minute) and Fedde Leysen (47th minute) on Saturday. Union are the first Belgian Cup winners to claim the Super Cup since 2004.
Squads were reshuffled as several players had yet to return from Euro and Copa America. Union coach Nicky Hayen introduced newcomers – striker Christos Tzolis and centre-back Zaid Romero. Excitingly, 21-year-old Amine Et-Taïbi and 19-year-old Joaquin Seys were given their first starts, tasked with covering the flanks. For his first official game, Sebastien Pocognoli opted for a familiar line-up, but notably paired the attacking duo of Dennis Eckert Ayensa and Elton Kabangu.
Setting the stage, an excellent pass from Leysen saw Eckert Ayensa seize the first major opportunity, which was ultimately foiled by Romero (7th). A tangle between Seys and Romero allowed Kabangu to set up a scoring opportunity, but it was inevitably cleared by Brandon Mechele (15th).
On the other side, a quick save from Anthony Morris stopped a shot from Casper Nielsen on the edge of the area (18th). As Union got onto the front foot, a penalty earned by a Romero foul on Kabangu was converted by Puertas, confirmed after a prolonged VAR review (40th, 0-1).
While the penalty from Puertas initially flummoxed Simon Mignolet, Leysen capitalised on a spill from a free kick, doubling Union's lead (47th, 0-2). Club Bruges took their time to start their offensive play. Ironically, as their dominance waned, Tzolis fired a goal into the top corner following an assist from Chemsdine Talbi (79th, 1-2). Despite late-game pressure from Tzolis (90th+3), they were unable to prevent Pocognoli from celebrating his first trophy win.
