Belgian champions, Union Saint-Gilloise stunned Eredivisie title holders PSV Eindhoven with a commanding 3-1 victory in their UEFA Champions League debut on Tuesday night.
Back in the starting XI after suffering a head injury in PSV’s thrilling 5-3 win over NEC last weekend, Armando Obispo lined up alongside Ryan Flamingo and youngster Yarek Gasiorowski, who deputized at left-back with Mauro Junior and Kiliann Sildillia both unavailable.
For Union, the historic fixture came 128 years after the club’s founding, but they were forced to do without suspended forward Raul Florucz and injured defender Ross Sykes.
Kevin Rodriguez filled in on the right flank, while Christian Burgess stepped into the backline.
PSV nearly drew first blood when Ismael Saibari found himself in a promising position early on, but his wasted opportunity came back to haunt the Dutch champions.
Moments later, Ricardo Pepi, tracking back in defense, conceded a penalty with a reckless clearance that caught Burgess instead of the ball.
Promise David kept his composure from the spot, calmly beating goalkeeper Matej Kovar to hand the visitors a shock lead.
The hosts tried to respond quickly, with Ruben van Bommel rattling the crossbar and nearly joining his father Mark as a Champions League goalscorer.
But another Pepi error, this time losing the ball in midfield, allowed Anour Ait El Hadj to embark on a dazzling solo run before drilling a low shot past Kovar to double Union’s advantage.
Saibari’s evening grew more frustrating when, ten minutes into the second half, he blazed over an open goal following Guus Til’s pinpoint cross.
With PSV unable to build momentum, Union continued to look dangerous through Anan Khalali and Ousseynou Niang, who both came close to adding a third.
That goal eventually arrived in the 80th minute. Burgess flicked on a corner, and Kevin Mac Allister, brother of Liverpool’s Alexis—was on hand to bundle the ball into an empty net, sealing a famous night for the Belgian champions.
PSV’s woes deepened when new signing Myron Boadu limped off injured just minutes after coming on.
Til salvaged some pride for the home side in the final minute, capitalizing on a defensive lapse to slot home, but it was nothing more than consolation.
Union Saint-Gilloise walked away with their first-ever Champions League victory, writing a new chapter in their history. They next face Newcastle United in Brussels on October 1.
PSV, meanwhile, fell to their fifth consecutive opening-day defeat in the competition and must regroup quickly before traveling to Bayer Leverkusen on the same date.
