Club Brugge and Anderlecht draw 1-1 in the Topper as Vanaken questions VAR

Vanaken puts Club ahead before the break

Club Brugge controlled much of the Topper at the Jan Breydel Stadium on Sunday, 8 November, but it had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Anderlecht. Hans Vanaken headed the hosts in front in the 41st minute, a goal that made him the top scorer in the history of the Topper with 12 goals. Club had won its previous nine matches in all competitions, and this result ended that run. Anderlecht arrived after losing 4-1 to Gent in the league two weeks earlier, and coach Vitor Bruno set aside his usual squad rotation for the match. Goalkeeper Coosemans turned away two powerful shots from Carlos Forbs at point-blank range in the 26th and 45th minutes, according to Le Soir.

Cvetkovic equalises and Club pushes late

Anderlecht had been on the back foot for most of the match, but Mihajlo Cvetkovic brought them level in the 58th minute. Coosemans played the final pass, and Cvetkovic won his duel with Brandon Mechele before finishing past Sommer after a solo run. Club kept pressing after the break but struggled to create clear chances. In the final ten minutes, a shot by Siquet struck the post of the Anderlecht goal. Club were without Potts, Virgili and Vetlesen, and 19-year-old Cheveyo Tsawa started for the first time, delivering a number of crosses, including the one for Vanaken's opener.

Referee and VAR anger

Club's frustration with referee Jasper Vergoote began early. Jorne Spileers was shown a yellow card after a foul on Danylo Sikan in the first half, and Ivan Leko was booked for his reaction. Hans Vanaken also received a yellow card for protesting. Leko later said Mechele had committed a clear pulling error before Cvetkovic's goal, and that Mechele lost all his pace after a small hold. Vanaken said the goal should have been disallowed and questioned why the VAR team did not review the images.

“Just abolish the VAR. It makes me a bit angry. This is totally ridiculous. That goal should always have been disallowed.”

Leko said he would rather referees made a mistake than created this kind of stress, and he expected to be criticised for his comments.

Reactions and next fixtures

Leko admitted that he, his players and the fans were too emotional after the equaliser. Yann Sommer said the club could look back on some excellent weeks and would enter the international break in good spirits. Giulian Biancone, who was satisfied with the point, said Anderlecht might even have hoped for the three points given their late chances.

“We are happy, to be honest. I think with the last chances we created at the end of the match, we could even have hoped for the three points.”

Vitor Bruno described the result as a deserved point after Club's territorial control. Anderlecht next play OH Leuven at home on 22 November, and Biancone will miss that match after a yellow card.