Club Brugge produced a statement performance on Thursday night, dismantling Monaco 4-1 at the Jan Breydel Stadium, with captain Hans Vanaken playing a talismanic role.
The skipper delivered a goal and an assist in a dominant display, inspiring a fluid Brugge attack that also saw Nicolo Tresoldi, Raphael Onyedika, and 19-year-old Mamadou Diakhon get on the scoresheet. Ansu Fati managed a late strike for Monaco, but it proved little more than consolation.
The visitors had the perfect chance to seize control early when Mika Biereth won a penalty after a collision with goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
But the veteran shot-stopper, who was later forced off with a groin issue, guessed right to deny Maghnes Akliouche from the spot.
Brugge capitalized soon after, with Tresoldi finishing smartly from Vanaken’s incisive pass on 32 minutes.
Onyedika doubled the advantage with a close-range effort from Carlos Forbs’ cutback, before Vanaken thundered home his trademark strike from distance to send the hosts into halftime 3-0 up.
The lively Diakhon put the gloss on the win late in the second half, scoring his maiden goal for the club to round off a convincing display that underlined Brugge’s ambitions for a deep run in the competition.
