Kjell Scherpen will look back on the match against Club Brugge with few pleasant memories. The goalkeeper had a significant share in the 1-3 defeat of his club KV Oostende with a blunder and an own goal. Due to the victory in Ostend, the team of trainer Alfred Schreuder rejoins Union Sint-Gillis, which won 1-4 against OH Leuven on Friday evening and has a seven point lead over the closest pursuer.
Schreuder had not made any base places for the Dutch at Club Brugge: Bas Dost, Ruud Vormer and Noa Lang started on the reserve bench in the Diaz Arena. Scherpen had been a base player in five of Ostend’s seven matches since he came over from Brighton & Hove Albion in January and was also under the bar against Club Brugge. After seventeen minutes of play, Scherpen had to concede his first goal against.
Cameron McGeehan extended a long ball with a backward header and offered Sargis Adamyan a free passage towards Scherpen. The Armenian striker tapped the ball through the legs of the rushing goalkeeper and then gave the leather the last push in front of an empty goal. Fredrik Jäkel cleaned up the distance for Ostend five minutes later by scoring the equalizer. The fact that Club Brugge took the lead again after just over half an hour of play was thanks to Scherpen.
Scherpen took a back pass badly, causing the ball to bounce in front of him. The goalkeeper returned a shot from Andreas Skov Olsen, but was unable to do anything on Adamyan’s rebound. The horror evening for Scherpen was completed in minute 63. A bet by Skov Olsen went through his legs against the ropes, making the 1-3 own goal to his name. Scherpen was according to statistics from opta the first goalkeeper since Rafael Romo in 2018 (on behalf of Beerschot) to score both an own goal and an error that led to a goal in one Pro League match.
Schreuder brought Lang – who, according to Belgian media, had to take a seat on the bench after a little problem in the previous game against Seraing – ten minutes before the end, but with the Dutch attacker on the field there was no change in the 1-3 score. . Lang brought in Mats Rits with five minutes to go, but his effort hit the post and the rebound was then taken off the line.
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