Club Brugge is the first and only Belgian teams which managed to reach the finals in two continental competitions, including Champions League up to this day. Despite their degrading form in Europe in the 2000s onward, the European nights in Jay Bredel stadium, their home ground, which could hold over 29,000 spectators, are still worth waiting for due to the distinguished atmosphere there.
This Belgian side have had several players making notable contribution for their positive campaign in the Champions League, mainly in 1970s. The likes of the former Belgian national team boss George Leekens, the former Belgian international Rene Vandereycken, the Danish forward Jan Sorensen and Julien Cools are still irreplaceable due to their role for Club Brugge’s glory. Their manager, Ernst Happel, has been the only one who had done something which any of his successors could not, guiding them to the summit, which is even harder in the latest Champions League format.
Top Achievements
Club Brugge have yet had a chance to lift the trophy but did have the opportunity to do so back in 1970s. Ernst Happel’s side managed to go through the final in 1978 edition. Unfortunately, they had to encounter the team which was in their golden era, Liverpool, and also defeated them in 1976 UEFA Cup, the older version of Europa League. Apparently, the history repeated as once again Kenny Daglish and Co buried their dream. The Reds won 1-0 in the Wembley final.
The next best result was in the previous season when they could advance to the last eight but lost to the eventual runner up, Borussia M’Gladbach 2-3 on aggregate. Since then, Brugge’s campaign in the Champions League often ended at the early stages.
Iconic Moments in the Champions League
Club Brugge might not have clinched the title yet but they have had some unforgettable moments worth remembering. Their reputation as the dark horse seems to linger on after 1978 final.
The most
Iconic Moments
were still in 1970s. Ernst Happel’s side defeated the Italian champion, Juventus 2-1 on aggregate at the 1978 semi final. A 2-0 win at the second leg was the key for their progress to the summit after a 0-1 loss in the reverse fixture. Bastijns opened the scoring and Rene Vandereycken extended their lead during the extra time. The next one was in the previous season, 1976/77 when Club Brugge knocked out Real Madrid 2-0 on aggregate at the second round. Next, in 2003/04 season, they secured two crucial wins over the high profile teams at the group stage, 1-0 against AC Milan on the road and 2-1 versus Ajax at home. Such helped them earn a spot for Europa League knock out stage afterwards.
Meanwhile, their most dreadful moments were surely the 1978 defeat in the summit against Liverpool by a single goal of Kenny Daglish and the 0-1 loss against Gladbach in 1977 at the quarter final, which prevented them from going through to the last four.
