Although he couldn’t put big numbers on the scoreboard against Cercle Brugge, Racing Genk’s energy let out again. An untied Brian Hayne put his team ahead by two goals. Next weekend he will play soccer with a golden bull on his back. “This won’t happen often.”
Wouter Vrancken was convinced that his side had made it past the tough hurdle, Cercle Brugge: “No team plays sparkling football against this Cercle.” In the first half, the crowd enjoyed Trezor’s wonderful touch of the ball, especially the replacement of the prodigal son, Ali Silent. The Tanzanian celebrated long after the match when exiting the field. The many pats on his back made him shimmer.
But the main man on Saturday was Brian Hein. The scoring leader in the race. Scored two goals for the second week in a row. He headed 1-0 against Cercle just before half-time and used the penalty kick, which again gave his team the lead. Heynen has already scored four goals in just five matches. Another one which equals his total production last season.
This makes the 26-year-old midfielder not only the top scorer in his team, but also in the competition. “It shows that we have two different goalscorers and we don’t depend on one striker,” Franken said. This is more difficult for opponents to defend. That’s nice of Brian. I know from my own experience that scoring is the best thing there is for a midfielder.
Franken praised Heinen’s role in his group more. “We all know Brian as a captain who doesn’t talk. He’s someone who shows it on the pitch. Not just by scoring goals, but in everything. He transmits faith. Then you deserve this bond.”
bale year
Heinen himself remained humble. as always. “Will I soon be able to play with the golden bull? I’m not interested in it, but it’s fun. It may not happen again. Well, the three points are what count.”
These three points came out more difficult than he thought. Genk were good – especially in the last half hour of the first half – Cerke was difficult. “It was a tough match overall,” Heinen admitted. “We had to fight more for the second ball. You also have to be able to win these matches.”
The story of last year was that with a tie like that, uncertainty is added. We have matured into that as we play these games. The only thing missing is that we have to decide matches early on. We could have scored more today. And we haven’t been able to maintain zero yet. As long as we score more goals than the opponent, there is nothing wrong, but in the end you want to go there.”
After a bad year, Racing is now having fun. He booked a fourth straight win against Cercle, scoring fifteen times to date and is the joint leader. “We knew there had to be a reaction after last season,” Heinen said. “I think we can be proud of our answer. By that I mean not only our game, but also our energy that is passed on to the fans. Is it fun to play with Genk again? I’ve always loved him.”
