Fresh from his impressive display in the UEFA Champions League, Super Eagles midfielder Raphael Onyedika delivered another commanding performance as Club Brugge KV secured a hard fought 2-1 victory over OH Leuven on matchday 26 of the Belgian Pro League at the Jan Breydel Stadion.
After a tightly contested first half, the breakthrough arrived in the 53rd minute. Bjorn Meijer gave Club Brugge the lead with a left footed finish from close range into the bottom right corner after being set up by Carlos Forbs. The advantage lasted only two minutes as Nigerian forward Chukwubuikem Ikwuemesi responded for OH Leuven, firing a right footed effort inside the box into the top right corner to level the score.
Club Brugge regained control in the 61st minute when Nicolò Tresoldi restored their lead. The forward struck a right footed shot from inside the area into the bottom left corner following an assist from Aleksandar Stankovic.
OH Leuven were handed a golden opportunity to equalise in the 68th minute after Hugo Siquet conceded a penalty for a foul in the box. Takahiro Akimoto was brought down and, following a VAR confirmation, Siebe Schrijvers stepped up to take the spot kick. However, his right footed effort sailed too high, allowing Brugge to maintain their advantage.
The visitors pushed forward late on and nearly snatched an equaliser in stoppage time. William Balikwisha unleashed a right footed strike from a difficult angle on the right, but Simon Mignolet reacted sharply to tip the ball into the top left corner and preserve the lead.
The result continues Club Brugge’s dominance in this fixture. Before this encounter, they had recorded five consecutive victories over OH Leuven, including a 1-0 win at the King Power at Den Dreef in their last meeting. In the previous 10 head to head matches, Brugge have claimed eight wins and two draws.
Raphael Onyedika was influential throughout the full 90 minutes. He completed 79 of 83 passes, recorded 97 touches, won both of his tackles, made two interceptions and two clearances, and won all three of his ground duels in a composed and authoritative midfield display.
The victory moves Club Brugge up to second place on 53 points, just one point behind surprise leaders Sint Truidense V.V., as the race for a place in the championship playoff phase intensifies.
