May 28 – Following a dramatic last day of the season and a late ruled-out goal by crosstown rivals Cercle Brugge in a 0-0 draw, Club Brugge won the Belgian league for the 19th time, pipping rivals Union and Anderlecht to the title.
Brugge’s coronation was a great role reversal after the club had finished third in the regular season, nine points behind Union, but an unbeaten streak and 24 points from ten matches in the playoffs were enough to finish top of the table and celebrate the league title under new manager Nicky Hayen.
Even so, Brugge huffed and puffed against their local rivals Cercle Brugge, who had the ball in the net – a goal that would have sent the title to Union – in the 82nd minute, but following a long VAR checkout, the goal was disallowed for offside.
Hayen replaced Norwegian Ronny Deila at the end of the regular season after a defeat too many away to Sint-Truiden. The new manager, who will be negotiating his future at the club in the coming days, brought more clarity to the team’s game and Brugge exploited a slump in Union’s form to take command of the playoffs.
The Brussels-based club lost their first four matches in the playoffs and so for the third time in three seasons, Union missed out on the domestic crown by a whisker. On the last match day, Union defeated KRC Genk 2-0 at home but needed Brugge to lose and so was left stranded by a point. Anderlecht finished third after losing on the final day 3-1 away to Antwerp.
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