Belgian Football Weekend

Our latest trip saw us complete a Belgian Football Weekend as we took in three matches around the Brussels area.  Belgium could be your destination when booking the “Sporting” Mystery Weekend package…

 

Europa Conference Action

The first match during our Belgian Football Weekend was a Thursday night trip to Brugge to see how Cercle Brugge would fair in the Europa Conference League.  Cercle Brugge initially entered the Europa League Qualifiers via last season’s league position, however lost 3-1 on aggregate to Molde from Norway.   The club subsequently entered the qualifiers for the Conference League, and although they lost 4-1 at home to Wisla Krakow, went through thanks to a 6-1 away win in the first leg.

 

 

The third level European competition shares the same format as the Champions League with Cercle Brugge competing in a 36 team league.  The top eight teams will qualify automatically for the last 16, whilst teams finishing between 9th and 24th would enter a play-off to decide the other eight teams to progress.  This would be Cercle Brugges’ first match of six.

 

Travelling to Brugges

This was a rare treat as we gave up the normal flights with budget airline rules, and opted instead for the luxurious Eurostar from London St Pancreas to Brussels.  What a welcome change not having to consider bag size, needing to only arrive 45 minutes before departure, no expensive airport parking, whilst also being able to carry on whatever liquids we wanted.

Arriving in Brussels at 14:05pm we grabbed a train to Brugges which took approximately one hour and 20 Euro’s each.

 

Jan Breydel Stadium

Cercle Brugge play at the Jan Breydel Stadium which is shared with local rivals Club Brugge who attract far higher crowds.  Last season’s average crowd for Cercle Brugge was 5,404 so the 5,195 in attendance for this early kick-off was a good number.

 

 

Cercle Brugge v St Gallen

Cercle Brugge were playing St Gallen from Switzerland who had to navigate three ties to qualify for this stage eventually beating Trabzonspor on penalties in the third qualifier.

Obtaining match tickets was difficult, not due to availability but due to the match being classified as “high risk”.  Having said that, after we were told that we couldn’t buy tickets without having a previous history, a few hours later it miraculously worked.  When we were eventually able to purchase tickets, these were only available as a “Season Ticket” for the three home group matches.  This was priced at 50 Euro’s.

 

 

The first half saw Cercle run into a 3-0 lead with Kevin Denkey scoring two goals of his hattrick.  At the start of the second half with the game all but lost, the St Gallen fans treated everyone to this fantastic pyrotechnic show…

 

The second half saw a flurry of goals, including a penalty, as the hosts ran out 6-2 winners.  Eight goals certainly gave us some of the value for the ticket price!  After the first match of this long European campaign, Cercle proudly sit at the top of the 36 team table with St Gallen occupying 35th.

 

Brugge Tips

Brugge is a beautiful city and we decided to remain here on the Thursday evening and the Friday too.  Places we would recommend are Le Trappiste Bar which is inside an underground crypt and also Bourgogne des Flandres located on the riverside serving beer and snacks.

 

 

 

Trip to Mechelen

Saturday saw us head to back to Brussels where we would spend the next two nights.  However once checked in our destination was the City of Mechelen.  Mechelen is a small city and everything was walkable, from the train station to the main square and then on to the stadium.

 

 

 

Of course we were heading to Mechelen for the football.  K.V. Mechelen play in the Belgian Pro League and were facing OH Leuven with a 16:00pm kick-off.  The two clubs were nestled alongside each other in the middle of the table going into the match.

 

 

The AFAS Stadion was just a 20 minute stroll from the city centre so no public transport required.  On arrival the gates were still closed until 90 minutes before kick-off and initially there were not many fans about.  However, by kick off the terrace had filled on the long side and behind the goal with an impressive, albeit unknown, attendance.

 

 

Not for the first time this weekend we were treated to a glut of goals.  In just the 12th minute, Leuven defender Federico Ricca was shown the red card for a professional foul and this triggered one-way traffic.  Within two minutes of OH Leuven being reduced to ten men, they managed to turn the ball into their own net and just four minutes later Mechelen added a second.

The second half saw Mechelen bag another three goals in the sunshine with the fifth goal arriving in added time at the end of the second half.  The home fans enjoyed this one and see their team rise to 6th in the Belgian Pro League.

 

 

Rather than heading straight back to Brussels, we wanted to see what else Mechelen had to offer and took the advice of our friends at Bier Draak to visit a brewery called Het Anker.  This was a great choice as we were able to sample a beautiful new beer called Gouden Carolus Indulgence 2024 Margaretha – a dark sour beer oozing in quality.  Alongside a perfect steak it was a fantastic end to the afternoon.

 

 

Anderlecht

Sunday saw us complete the trilogy of matches on the Belgian Football Weekend and from our hotel near Gare Midi in Brussels we took a slow walk in the sunshine, out to Lotto Park, home of Anderlecht, a trip which was about 4km and took 45 minutes.

On arrival at the ground, there were small bars and cafe’s serving outside playing music and creating a great atmosphere where fans would meet prior to the match.

 

 

 

The fixture against Standard de Liege is a big match and tickets sold out fast without making general sale however we were able to source tickets in the upper section right on the halfway line for a fantastic view.  Once through entrance number 5, there are plenty of food and drink options whilst the toilet facilities were something you would expect in a good hotel.

 

 

 

 

Anderlecht took the lead in the 9th minute through Simic however the second goal was the one which got supporters on their feet as Dolberg thumped in an effort from distance.    Anderlecht won this match comfortably and below is how each goal is celebrated, this video recorded after Anderlecht notched their third goal in time added on as they won 3-0.

 

Our own Belgian Football Weekend served up 16 goals across 3 matches which is an amazing return.  Mixing in the beautiful city of Brugge, the quaint streets of Mechelen and the vibrant Brussels nightlife, it was an incredible weekend and we look forward to sending more customers to Brussels in the future.

 

Covert Football Trips

Who are we?  Covert Football Trips create Mystery Football Weekends.  Choose from 2 or 3 Night experiences which include your flights, accommodation and match tickets.  We are a travel agent so your trip is ATOL protected whilst we use our own experience to create amazing weekends.

Choose grounds to avoid,  select the dates you want to travel and note the airports you would prefer to fly from and then sit back and let us do all the hard work.

You can book a Covert Football Trip for just £10 deposit per person!  Get the gang together and choose your weekend of choice!  The Sporting Package could be your very own Belgian Football Weekend!