BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT IN ALMATY
CLUB BRUGGE shook off their recent domestic blues to find their spark under the Kazakh lights, dismantling Kairat Almaty 4-1 to keep their Champions League knockout hopes alive.
On a night where the temperature dropped, the Belgian stars brought the heat.
Captain Hans Vanaken was the architect-in-chief, delivering a masterclass in midfield composure that left the hosts chasing shadows at the Astana Arena.
Brugge started with intent, and it was the lively Mamadou Diakhon who nearly tore the script open early on, rattling the woodwork with a curling effort that had the keeper beaten.
But the breakthrough finally came in the 32nd minute when Aleksandar Stankovic pounced on a weak punch from Kairat’s Temirlan Anarbekov to smash home.
Before the home side could catch their breath, Vanaken turned from provider to poacher. Just five minutes later, the skipper expertly kneed home a Joaquin Seys header, doubling the lead and effectively silencing the Almaty crowd before the interval.
The second half was more of the same dominance.
While Carlos Forbs dazzled with his pace on the flanks, it was young star Romeo Vermant who added the third. In the 74th minute, he was in the right place at the right time to tap in after more superb work from the tireless Diakhon.
Veteran defender Brandon Mechele then got in on the act, rising highest to nod home a Vanaken cross with six minutes remaining, putting the gloss on a professional performance.
Kairat did manage a moment of magic in stoppage time through Adilet Sadybekov, who thundered a sensational long-range volley past Nordin Jackers. It was a goal worthy of any highlight reel, but it was nothing more than a consolation on a night that belonged to the visitors.
The win moves Club Brugge into 23rd place in the league table, meaning their European fate now rests on a mouth-watering final-day showdown against Marseille.
“We had something to prove after a tough week,” a beaming Vanaken said at full-time. “This was the response we needed. Now, we go again.”
