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2021 Belgian Cup final

The 2021 Belgian Cup final, named Croky Cup after the sponsor, was the 66th Belgian Cup final. On 13 March 2021, Standard Liège qualified for their 18th final, losing 9 and winning 8. Genk qualified one day later, reaching their sixth final, winning all but one, namely their latest appearance when they lost the 2018 Belgian Cup Final to Standard Liège. It took place on 25 April 2021 and was won by Genk.

Route to the final[edit]

Match[edit]

Summary[edit]

In an empty King Baudouin Stadium, both teams started the match eagerly. Genk came close to an early goal, with a shot by Kristian Thorstvedt hitting the post and a first serious warning for Standard Liège. Standard Liège, who had been relying on their fighting spirit throughout the season, lacked sharpness and creativity in the final third of the pitch. At the back, however, they did manage to keep control of the ball and kept Genk at bay after the initial challenge by Thorstvedt. During the 1st half, Théo Bongonda and poacher Paul Onuachu were firmly in the defense's grip.

At the start of the second half, the game split open, when Hugo Siquet lost the ball, Genk immediately sent it to Junya Itō, who left Arnaud Bodart without a chance with a crossed shot. The goal gave Genk confidence and the Limburg team gradually took more and more control of the match. Although Genk was the better team, they still had to watch their backs. The Genk defense had a hard time dealing with the excellent substitute Jackson Muleka, who had the equalizer at his feet, but his shot was a miss. As the game progressed, Standard was forced to take more risks, allowing more space for Genk. Ten minutes before the end of the game, Bongonda took advantage of this to slide in the 0-2. Muleka immediately brought the excitement back with a strong header, but Genk survived the final offensive, winning their 5th Belgian Cup and being assured of European football for the coming season.

Details[edit]

Standard Liège	1–2	Genk
Muleka 83'	Report	Itō 48' Bongonda 80'

Attendance: 0^{[note 1]}

Referee: Bram Van Driessche

GK 16 Arnaud Bodart RB 41 Hugo Siquet CB 5 Moussa Sissako  90+2' CB 34 Konstantinos Laifis LB 24 Nicolas Gavory  63' MF 19 Selim Amallah  87' MF 28 Samuel Bastien  75' MF 8 Gojko Cimirot  66' MF 26 Nicolas Raskin  71' CF 14 Klauss MF 32 Michel-Ange Balikwisha  57' Substitutes: MF 10 Mehdi Carcela  81'  66' FW 17 Jackson Muleka  65'  57' MF 22 Maxime Lestienne  75' GK 1 Jean-François Gillet DF 6 Noë Dussenne MF 15 Eden Shamir DF 21 Collins Fai DF 33 Damjan Pavlovic Manager: Mbaye Leye

GK 26 Maarten Vandevoordt RB 23 Daniel Muñoz  56' CB 46 Carlos Cuesta CB 33 Jhon Lucumí LB 5 Gerardo Arteaga MF 7 Junya Itō MF 17 Patrik Hrošovský  90' MF 42 Kristian Thorstvedt  87' MF 8 Bryan Heynen CF 10 Théo Bongonda CF 18 Paul Onuachu Substitutes: DF 2 Mark McKenzie  87' FW 9 Cyriel Dessers MF 14 Bastien Toma DF 21 Jere Uronen MF 24 Luca Oyen GK 40 Tobe Leysen DF 77 Ángelo Preciado Manager: John van den Brom

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official website (in French and Dutch)