Club Brugge qualified for the UEFA Conference League football semi-finals on Thursday after beating Greek side Paok 0-2 on Thursday (0-3 on aggregate).
The Belgian team had previously won in the first leg and overcame PAOK in Thessaloniki to secure their place in the competition’s semi-finals. Brugge player Jutgla led the team to victory against the Greek side, scoring twice, first at the 33rd-minute mark, then just before half-time.
In Bruges, the first leg was characterised by skirmishes between the Greek supporters and the Belgian police, resulting in several people being injured. The Greek club has since filed a complaint against the police for mistreatment of its fans.
In the semi-finals, Club Brugge will be playing against Fiorentina who also made it to last year’s finals. The Italians also secured their semi-final spot after a 2-0 victory over Viktoria Plzen. Gonzalez and Biraghi scored the two crucial goals for Fiorentina during stoppage time.
The first semi-final match will take place in Italy on 2nd May followed by the return leg in Bruges on 8 May. This is the first time since 1993 that a Belgian club has reached the semi-finals of a European competition, making it a significant win for Club Brugge.
The other semi-final match will see Aston Villa face Olympiacos Piraeus. Aston Villa managed to edge out Lille in a penalty shootout aided by their Argentine goalie, Emiliano Martinez.
Olympiacos eliminated Fenerbahce in the penalty shootout. Although Mitchy Batsuhayi secured a draw during the final minutes, making the score level 3-3, Fenerbahce was unable to continue and was knocked out of the competition with a 2-3 defeat.
