Club Brugge midfielder Raphael Onyedika expressed disappointment over the late defeat against last season’s UEFA Champions League runners-up, Borussia Dortmund, but believes it is not the end of the road for his team.
Rated the best Brugge player at the Jan Breydel Stadium on Wednesday by Voetbalprimeur, the Super Eagles midfielder was instrumental in the match, forcing a brilliant save from Gregor Kobel with a powerful strike 12 minutes in. His teammate Hugo Vetlesen followed up by hitting the rebound off the underside of the crossbar, as the hosts pressed for an early advantage.
A brace from second-half substitute Jamie Gittens and a stoppage-time penalty from Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy secured a 3-0 victory for the Bundesliga giants, leaving the Blue-Black outfit needing to bounce back as they travel to face Sturm Graz next.
Disappointment on the Final Result
Speaking exclusively to SportsBoom.com, Onyedika lamented the missed opportunities that contributed to their defeat but remains confident in the team’s ability to recover.
The defeat snapped a four-game winning streak for the Belgian top-division side, marking their last Champions League victory back in October 2022—a 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid in which Onyedika played the full match.
While the team has shown improvement in their domestic games, the talented midfielder acknowledges that they can perform even better on the biggest stage.
“We were unlucky,” Onyedika told SportsBoom.com. “If we had scored one early in the game, maybe things could have turned out differently. But it just wouldn’t go in. Some close calls didn’t help either. This is the Champions League. When you get chances, you have to take them. In the end, we have to look at these things and move on to the next match.”
With upcoming fixtures against Sporting and Aston Villa in the restructured Champions League, Onyedika and his teammates are optimistic about their chances. The 23-year-old believes the defeat will have little effect on their confidence as they prepare for the remaining games.
Commitment to the Ultimate Goal—Qualification
“It is a long way to go in the competition, and our target is to win every other game and reach the knockout stages. We take these matches one at a time, and we know we can do better.”
“Everyone was disappointed, but we will be back. We can do it; the quality is there, so we have no doubt about it.”
