1992 Belgian Cup final

1992 Belgian Cup final
Event1991–92 Belgian Cup
After extra time
Antwerp won 9–8 on penalties
Date7 June 1992
VenueOlympiastadion, Bruges
RefereeAlphonse Constantin
Attendance20,000

The 1992 Belgian Cup final took place on 7 June 1992 between Royal Antwerp and KV Mechelen and was the 37th Belgian Cup final. Both clubs got a chance to win their second Belgian Cup, after Antwerp had already won in 1955, while Mechelen was victorious in 1987. The match ended in a 2–2 draw after extra time and was won by Antwerp on penalty kicks (9–8).[1] Antwerp thus qualified for the 1992–93 European Cup Winners' Cup where it would go on to lose the final.[2]

36 years later both clubs would again meet in the final of the 2022–23 Belgian Cup.[3]

Route to the final

Antwerp KV Mechelen
Opponent Result Legs Round Opponent Result Legs
Mol 3–0 3–0 away Round of 64 Brainois 3–0 3–0 home
Union SG 1–0 1–0 home Round of 32 Olympic Charleroi 3–0 3–0 away
Tienen 1–0 1–0 home Round of 16 RFC Liège 2–1 (a.e.t.) 2–1 away
Lommel 2–1 0–1 away; 2–0 home Quarter-finals Beveren 2–1 0–0 away; 2–1 home
Gent 2–1 1–1 away; 1–0 home Semi-finals Standard Liège 3–1 1–1 home; 2–0 away

Match

Summary

While the first half was a dull affair, KV Mechelen took the initiative in the second half and got the best chances to take the lead with Marc Emmers seeing his shot punched away by Svilar, Philippe Albert dribbling past several Antwerp players and Zlatko Arambasic missing a big opportunity. Antwerp was able to open the score against the run of play, with Wim Kiekens heading in a free kick by Patrick Van Veirdeghem with just under 20 minutes to play. Somewhat later a penalty kick could possibly have been given for a tackle by Gijsbrechts on Alex Czerniatynski but referee Alphonse Constantin judged it not to be a foul. Mechelen was not able to respond until two minutes before the end of the regular time when Zlatko Arambasic was able to outrun the entire Antwerp defense and score the equalizer.

Mechelen kept the momentum going as only five minutes into extra-time René Eijkelkamp was able to convert a long-range kick over Svilar to give his team the lead. At the other end Michel Preud'homme needed cat-like reflexes to keep Czerniatynski from heading in the equalizer. With several Mechelen players starting to become fatigued and suffer from cramps, it seemed inevitable that Antwerp would score. First Hans-Peter Lehnhoff hit the crossbar, but eventually just three minutes before the end of the game, Alex Czerniatynski was able to easily tap in a loose ball after Michel Preud'homme could not hold on to a difficult shot by Willy Vincent.

The penalty shootout would become the longest ever in a Belgian Cup Final (and still is as of 2022), as 22 penalty kicks were needed to decide a winner, with Ratko Svilar eventually saving the shot by Lei Clijsters.

Details

The details of the game are summarized in the following table:

Antwerp2–2 (a.e.t.)KV Mechelen
Kiekens 72'
Czerniatynski 117'
Report Arambasic 88'
Eijkelkamp 95'
Penalties
9–8
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: Alphonse Constantin
GK Ratko Svilar
RB Wim Kiekens
CB Nico Broeckaert
CB Geert Emmerechts
LB Rudi Smidts (c)
MF Ronny Van Rethy
MF Patrick Van Veirdeghem  115'
MF Hans-Peter Lehnhoff
MF Dragan Jakovljević
FW Nico Claesen  91'
FW Alex Czerniatynski
Substitutes:
FW Willy Vincent  91'
DF Kari Ukkonen  115'
Manager:
Walter Meeuws
GK Michel Preud'homme
RB Koen Sanders
CB Davy Gijsbrechts
CB Lei Clijsters (c)
LB Adrie Bogers
MF Joël Bartholomeeusen
MF Philippe Albert
MF Marc Emmers
MF Frank Leen
FW Zlatko Arambasic
FW René Eijkelkamp
Substitutes:
DF Patrick Versavel
FW Francis Severeyns
Manager:
Georges Leekens

Match rules

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra time if necessary.
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level.
  • Maximum of three substitutions.


References

  1. ^ "Belgium Cup 1991/92". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  2. ^ "European Cup Winners' Cup 1992/1993 - Results, fixtures, tables and stats - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  3. ^ "Belgium - List of Cup Finals". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-08-22.