Club Brugge 3-2 (4-2) RB Salzburg Player Ratings : Carlos Forbs rated 8.5/10 as Club Brugge turn tables around in a thrilling Second-Half Comeback

Club Brugge locked horns against RB Salzburg for the second leg match of the third qualifying round of the UCL. In the first leg, it was Club Brugge who emerged victorious with a one-goal lead and in the second leg, after a thrilling encounter,

The match began rather in a balanced manner, with the home side having a slight upper edge in the match. But soon the plates turned and Salzburg were having the steering wheel of the game and they controlled all the aspects. In the 18th minute, the home side conceded a free kick at a dangerous position outside the box. Kjaergaard took an elegant free kick inside the box, which was towered in by Rasmussen, providing the visitors with the opener and reaching terms on aggregate. Later, either side attempted to attack, but somehow none of them found the back of the net. Salzburg goalkeeper Alexander Schlager was having one of his best matches as he made multiple saves to deny the efforts of Club Brugge. Just ahead of the break, Edmund Baidoo doubled the delight for the visitors by easily tapping in the second goal, giving his team the real lead, and at half-time, the score was 0-2.

In the second half, Brugge entered with much more vigour, and this paid off in the 61st minute as they managed to find the back of the net with the services of Joaquin Seys, who was perfectly placed in the middle of the box unmarked, to win a cross from the right and attempt a shot from the edge of the box to open the accounts for Brugge. Later, Forbs capitalised on a defensive error of the Salzburg defender and made a speedy run towards the goal to once again shake the net for the home side, bringing them back to an aggregate lead once again. In the dying seconds Vanaken marked the nail in the coffin as he scored the third goal, making the score 3-2 at full time.

Here are the Club Brugge vs RB Salzburg Player Ratings

Club Brugge Player Ratings

Here are the Club Brugge Player Ratings

Goalkeeper

Simon Mignolet - 5.8/10

Was just a spectator when Salzburg scored both the goals. Was put to test a few times, and somehow the keeper was able to stop most of the attempts.

Defenders

Joaquin Seys - 7.5/10

Seys did not have a glittery first half and his name was not celebrated throughout, but in the second half, he proved his worth by scoring the opening goal for his team after lurking inside the box, winning a cross from the right and attempting his luck at goal..

Jorne Spileers - 7.5/10

Spileers was the only player in the backline who put in an immense workload from the start of the match. Won a good number of duels, made clearances and did his duties to the best.

Brandon Mechele - 7/10

Mechele was struggling in the match when Salzburg came to attack. Could have done better to mark the opponents and prevent them from scoring the opener. But later in the second half, the player stood strong like a rock and put down all the opponent's attacking initiatives.

Bjorn Meijer - 4/10

He was terrible in the first half as he failed to mark the opponent, leading to his team conceding the first goal. Just ahead of the break, a defensive error led to Salzburg scoring their second goal. Was subbed right after the break.

Midfielders

Ludovit Reis - 6.5/10

Reis was decent in the midfield. Was involved in around a dozen duels and won around a quarter of them. Provided some good crosses and had one each interception, clearance and tackle.

Raphael Onyedika - 7.3/10

Retreated back to the defence whenever the opponents came to attack and made some blocks and clearances. Won 5/8 duels, made 2 interceptions and 4 tackles and kept opponents away from entering his territory.

Hans Vanaken - 8/10

Vanaken was essentially the playmaker for his side, having a dominating performance in the midfield. Dispossessed the opponents in the midfield, maintained a good passing accuracy and provided some key passes into the attacking third.

Forward

Carlos Forbs - 8.5/10

Forbs was a key figure on the right wing, making runs and even taking his chance at goal. In the second half, he made an accelerated run from the right towards the goal, gliding past defenders to take a shot and double the advantage for Brugge.

Romeo Vermant - 6.5/10

Vermant was never afraid to have a go and kept knocking on the opponent's doors quite often. He was having a pivotal role in piling up pressure upon the opponents, but somehow all of his attempts did not find the back of the net.

Christos Tzolis - 8.2/10

Covered almost every blade of the left flank with his moves. Provided a good number of long balls and crosses, and even had some shots on target. Came really close to scoring but unfortunately it hit the woodwork.

Substitutes

Kyriani Sabbe - 7/10

Chipped in a cheeky cross inside the box to assist his team's first goal of the game.

Aleksander Stankovic - 6/10

Nicolo Tresoldi - 6/10

Hugo Siquet - 6/10

Zaid Romero - NA

Manager

Nicky Hayen - 7/10

Though his team faced all kinds of difficulties in the first half, he was able to regroup the players, motivate them, and bring out their best to score three goals in the second half and bring the team on winning ways at home.

RB Salzburg Player Ratings

Here are the RB Salzburg Player Ratings

Goalkeeper

Alexander Schlager - 8.5/10

Alexander was tested throughout the match by the opponents, but did exceptionally well to stop all the attempts. The keeper was worth every penny spent. However, in the second half, defensive errors meant that the players efforts went to vain.

Defenders

Stefan Lainer - 6/10

Lainer came deep into the attacking third to contribute offensively and assisted the second goal for Salzburg to provide them the aggregate lead. As the game progressed, the player was pretty decent with a pretty sound performance.

Joane Gadou - 6/10

Gadou's performance in the backline was satisfactory relative to his fellow teammates in the defence. His solid presence in the defence was the reason Lainer had the autonomy to move higher up the pitch and attack, and this benefited the team.

Jacob Rasmussen - 7.5/10

Was tall during set pieces and towered in a header to mark the opener for Salzburg, bringing them level on aggregate. Was solid in the defence too and had a great day altogether. One defensive mistake from the player however led to the opponents scoring.

Aleksa Terzic - 7.5/10

Terzic was nothing short of brilliant on the entire left flank of the pitch. Was solid in winning back the ball from the opponents, did well in the defence, provided a good number of long balls to the attacking half and kept Forbs relatively silent.

Midfielders

Soumaila Diabate - 6/10

Was decent in the midfield. Did not have much impact throughout the match.

Nene Dorgeles - 6.5/10

Dorgeles was seen almost in every frame of the attacking half, but to his dismay, the player made no positive contributions to his team. Was poor in almost all aspects of the game involved in.

Maurits Kjaergaard - 6.5/10

Delivered a beautiful curving free kick into the box, which was converted into the opener of the game by Rasmussen. Later, the player took some free kicks which went way wide.

Mads Bidstrup - 6.5/10

The captain stood tall in the midfield, communicated well and helped his team whenever they wanted his presence. Made interceptions and tackles, won duels and played decently.

Forward

Edmund Baidoo - 7.2/10

Baidoo was initially finding it difficult to find a rhythm in the match, but later he came into his full might as he scored the second goal for his team, providing them with the much-awaited aggregate lead. Later, he did not create many chances and was subbed off.

Yorbe Vertessen - 6/10

He was average in the match and was predominantly seen in the middle third rather than the final third, reducing his impact as a striker. However, to his disappointment, he was struggling in the midfield too, and this made his contributions minimal.

Substitutes

Peter Ratkov - 7/10

Kerim - 6/10

Adam Daghim - 6/10

Jannik Schuster - NA

Manager

Thomas Letsch - 6/10

The gaffer and his team had nothing short of a dominant first half. However, his team made some avoidable blunders and had to see his time fall into ruins.

Sportsdunia's Player of the Match is Carlos Forbs