Club Brugge keep Champions League knockout phase hopes alive with 4-1 win in Kazakhstan
After two painful home defeats, Club Brugge secured a much-needed victory in the Champions League on Tuesday. The team from West Flanders convincingly beat Kairat Almaty 4-1 in Kazakhstan, keeping alive their chances of reaching the knockout phase.
On paper, Kairat Almaty were a manageable opponent. They sat at the bottom of the league phase with just one point after six matches, and had not played an official match for over a month due to the winter break. Club Brugge, however, had not been in top form either, coming off a cup exit to Charleroi and a league defeat against La Louvière.
Those setbacks did not seem to weigh on the team in Almaty. Aleksandar Stankovic opened the scoring in the 34th minute, and captain Hans Vanaken doubled the lead five minutes later. Romeo Vermant and Brandon Mechele added two more goals before Adilet Sadybekov scored a late consolation for the hosts in stoppage time.
With seven points, Club Brugge currently sit 23rd, just inside the top 24 and therefore in a qualifying position for the knockout phase. To secure their place in the next round, they will need to beat Marseille at home on 28 January, on the final matchday of the league phase.
"It's a shame about the late goal, and we could have scored more if we had played better, but 4-1 is a good result," said Vanaken. "We know we had something to prove after last week. This was the right response, and now we have something to play for [against Marseille] next week."
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