Women’s Football Cup of Belgium
Dennis Moerman addresses the players after the elimination of Club YLA by RC genk. — © Marc Van Hecke
No West Flemish women’s team in the final of the Belgian Cup. Zulte Waregem could never qualify on the field of Standard and went 3-0. Club YLA can also draw a line through the cup final after a painful 1-2 defeat at home against KRC Genk.
Zulte Waregem was looking forward to the cup match against Standard. Coach Kenny Engels was still very disappointed even after a night’s sleep. “When you come so close to an absolute high point in our club history and then go into the boat with heavy 3-0 numbers, it is a hard pill to swallow. Objectively speaking, we must of course admit that the Rouches deserved to reach the final. Except for the first ten minutes, they dominated the game. After an individual action by their class striker Welma Fon, we swallowed the 1-0 just before the break. Immediately after the break it became 2-0 on a stationary phase and then you know that you are facing an almost impossible assignment. We still had the chance to score the tying goal via a header from Elke Van Gorp, but it was the Rouches who ultimately put the 3-0 final score on the board.”
Club YLA saw qualification for the final destroyed by two goals five minutes into the first half. Coach Dennis Moerman saw how his team was lord and master in the second half, but could not score the deserved equalizer. “With their tried and tested recipe, the quick changeover, the Limburgers hurt us in the first half. We were too sloppy in possession ourselves, which played into Genk’s hands. We fell 0-1 behind on such a quick counter-attack and barely five minutes later we couldn’t clear the ball on a stationary phase. Then suddenly you owe two goals. In the second half, with the contribution of extra striker Roosa Ariyo, we did everything we could and dictated the law for the full 45 minutes. We created chance after chance, but the tying goal took too long in my opinion. Even after Davinia Vanmechelen’s 1-2, we came very close to the equalizer a few times, but the efficiency was lacking to enforce extra time. I must admit that afterwards there was a lot of cursing, because if we reach the level of the second half throughout the match, we will always be in the final.” (tv)
