Part one of the Kevin De Bruyne Cup 2024 is already over. We look back at a very enjoyable opening day in a full house (full car park!) with fiercely fought matches. Meanwhile, the semi-finals are also fixed. You will discover them further in the article here.
Nearly 5,000 supporters at post
The sun appeared to be of little use today, but that did not spoil the atmosphere at all. Even through rain and wind, spectators flocked to our Pitches in droves to admire tomorrow's (inter)national football heroes. Almost 5,000 supporters did not see the less-than-perfect weather as a spoilsport and were absolutely spoiled by the participating teams.
Fierce battle in group stage
With the supporters thus numerous on post, the players had an extra motivator to pull out all the stops in the group stage of the KDB Cup. We were presented with some exciting games, starting with two nerve-wracking penalty series.
The day opened with Belgian success as RSC Anderlecht and Club Brugge drew the longest against RB Leipzig and SE Palmeiras respectively. Club and Palmeiras even ensured the longest penalty kick sequence in KDB Cup history with their 16 penalties.
A strong Manchester City
"Well begun is half won", they often say, but that proved less the case for RSCA and Club. They lost out later that day against both teams from Manchester. City in particular showed emphatically in their first game and continued that streak.
As Leipzig and Palmeiras won their second match, Anderlecht (Group A) and Club Brugge (Group B) eventually finished last in their pools. In Group A, Man City and Leipzig advanced to the quarter-finals. In Group B, that honour went to Man United and Palmeiras.
Belgian-tinged semi-final
In Group C, title-holder FC Barcelona excelled with two wins: 0-1 against KAA Gent and 0-2 against newcomer Glasgow Rangers. The direct game proved to be the decisive factor for the final score. In it, the Gent locals proved the strongest.
Their 2-1 victory saw them compete for a spot in the semi-finals in the late afternoon. Against the Dutchmen from PSV, who left a strong impression, they pulled off the win and are in the semi-finals on Sunday.
Finally, in Group D, PSV was lord and master, but KRC Genk could also force qualification. They won their match against Chelsea FC, which finished with 0 points. To reach the semi-finals, Genk had to deal with Barça, and they did. In a very exciting match, they took the lead five minutes before time. Delirium appeared near, until Barcelona equalised in the last minute. In the end, penalty kicks had to bring the decision, in which the Genk goalie crowned himself the absolute hero.
Fantastic Futbalistas!
The U15 toppers were not the only football stars in action today. After all, at the KDB Cup, we also like to put the spotlight on girls' football. That is why there was the first Mini-Futbalista tournament in the afternoon. Four Belgian U16 teams competed against each other: KVE Drongen, Essevee, JV De Pinte and KAA Gent Ladies. Discover some of their fantastic goals via our Instagram page.
Kevin is coming! Ready for Day Two?
Sunday = finals day! But above all, also the day we get a visit from our very own Kevin De Bruyne. He will gladly take some time off to drop by, greet the supporters and watch some matches. Does his visit inspire Manchester City to also take scalp of Genk after their quarter-final win against Manchester United and possibly Gent or Palmeiras in the final. We will experience it tomorrow, because athletes experience more!
Tombola
One more prize, a Rangers FC football shirt, was not collected yesterday. The winning number is 99! It can be collected from the tent secretariat between the two football pitches. (pitch 1 & 2)
