Enthusiastic players, motivated coaches, thousands of supporters and bright sunshine over Drongen. All the ingredients were present for a memorable Saturday of the eighth edition of the Kevin De Bruyne Cup. After an intense day, all the semi-finalists were known: FC Barcelona, Club Brugge, Paris St.-Germain and Chelsea FC.
Top-level football
Almost all the teams had already come to explore the pitch on Friday and it showed. From the first whistle at 9.30 am, the teams flew in with full intensity. No duel was shunned and no effort was too little under the cheers of a large crowd present. They fought for every metre, despite the increasing heat.
Audience flocks in droves
As soon as the doors opened, the spectators poured in. Each team brought a core of supporters, but also many ex-professionals or familiar faces travelled to Drongen. We were also able to welcome red devil Lois Openda. He was eagerly looking forward to his younger brother's performance at Club NXT.
FCB olé olé
It perhaps provided extra motivation for the Bruges natives, because after some fine performances they stand out among the four teams that will fight for the final victory tomorrow. In their group stage, they smoothly sidelined PSV Eindhoven and only had to acknowledge their superiority to FC Barcelona via penalties. In their quarter-final they were too strong for Bayer Leverkusen 04 after three scored penalties and a fantastic save by the Bruges goalkeeper. Of stress no question.
So Barça also survived Group B and put reigning champions Manchester City on their knee 1-2 in their quarter-final. They picked up a deficit and eventually drew the longest. City will thus not extend their title in 2025.
Prelude to Champions League triumph?
Along the other table half, it was PSG and Chelsea who finished their quarter-finals victorious. The London club made it through after a blood-curdling game against Bayern Munich. At 2-3, they missed a penalty kick and the cup seemed gone. But a fantastic free kick and a nerve-wracking penalty sequence later, the Blues still won the match.
In contrast, the Parisians enjoyed a smoother run. If the U15's success is a harbinger of final victory in the Champions League for PSG, we will find out later. They already showed a good example by finishing their pool against Bayern and KRC Genk as winners. Then RSC Anderlecht's Brussels side went ahead with a smooth 2-0 win.
Puffs blown
The sunscreen stands had their work cut out and the drinks went smoothly over the counter. We said goodbye to the Saturday crowd full of red-faced people and sweat beading on their foreheads. The enthusiasm along the sidelines only tasted of more for the final day on Sunday.
Ready for day two?
Apart from the semi-finals and finals, all other teams will also play a few more matches to determine their place in the final rankings. Do you still wish to come along and admire the youth of Europe's top teams? Tickets are still available for our second day via https://tickets.kdbcup.be/.
Review everything
Find out all the results from Day 1 of the KDB Cup or rewatch all the matches on the VEO YouTube channel at https://kdbcup.be/matches-zaterdag-31-05-2025/.