Club Brugge midfielder, Raphael Onyedika, has expressed his disappointment following their 3-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund in their 2024/25 Champions League matchday 1 (League Phase) at Jan Breydel Stadium Bruges last Wednesday.
Despite the defeat, the Super Eagles star remains confident that his club can recover and push forward in the competition.
Onyedika, rated as the best Brugge player by Voetbalprimeur, came close to putting his side ahead in the early stages of the game. In the 12th minute, he unleashed a powerful shot that forced a brilliant save from Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. His teammate, Hugo Vetlesen, followed up with a strike off the rebound, but it hit the underside of the crossbar, marking a series of missed opportunities that saw Brugge dominate early exchanges.
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Both Jamie Gittens and Serhou Guirassy rose from the bench to score Dortmund’s three second half goal. Gittens netted a brace – in the 76th and 86th minutes, while Guinea striker, Guirassy, scored from a penalty kick in the fifth minute of the stoppage time (95th) to sealed a comprehensive 3-0 victory for the Bundesliga side. The result puts Club Brugge under pressure as they now need a positive result in their next group match against Austrian side Sturm Graz.
In an interview with SportsBoom.com, Onyedika lamented the missed opportunities but maintained that the team has the ability to rebound from the setback.
“We were unlucky,” Onyedika said. “If we had gotten one early enough in the game, maybe things could have turned out differently. But it wouldn’t just go in. Maybe some close calls didn’t help as well. This is the Champions League. When you get the chances, you just have to take it. At the end, you just have to look at these things and move on with the next match.”
The defeat ended a four-game winning streak for Club Brugge in domestic competitions, but it also continued their winless run in the Champions League, with their last victory dating back to October 2022 — a 2-0 triumph over Atletico Madrid. Despite their struggles on the European stage, Onyedika remains positive about their ability to perform at the highest level.
Club Brugge remainder seven opponents in the League Phase of the new Champion League format includes Sturm Graz (away), AC Milan (away), Aston Villa (home), Celtic (away), Sporting CP (home), Juventus (home) and Manchester City (away). And Onyedika is confident that his team can turn things around in their upcoming matches.
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“It is a long way to go in the competition, and our target is to win every other games and get in the knockout stages. We take these games one at a time as they come, and we know we can do better,” Onyedika emphasised.
Though the defeat to Dortmund was a tough blow, Onyedika believes the team’s spirit and talent will see Club Brugge through.
He added: “Everyone was disappointed, but we will be back. We can do it; the quality is there so we have no doubt about it.”
With their sights firmly set on qualifying for the knockout stages, Club Brugge will be eager to make a statement in their next fixture as they travel to take on Sturm Graz.
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