Revisiting the 2022 Belgian Cup Final: Vincent Kompany’s last dance | OneFootball

Anderlecht will face Union St Gilloise this week in the Belgian Cup final. It is the first time that the competition has seen an all Brussels final, and for Anderlecht, it is a chance to make up for the last two finals in which they have appeared. Last season they lost to Club Brugge. Four years ago, under current Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany, they lost to Gent.

Kompany had returned to his boyhood club Anderlecht and become the sides head coach in 2020 after briefly ending his playing career with the Mauves. The side were, as they still are, in a period of transition, looking to shift large contracts and focus on the development of youth. Kompany understood this, and looking back, many admit that he overachieved with the squad at his disposal. The side ended up finishing third in the league behind eventual champions Club Brugge and city rivals Union.

In the cup, the side had, on paper at least, a comfortable run to the final. Entering at the sixth round, they hammered RAAL 7-1 away from. This set up a clash with fellow Pro League side RFC Seraing. Anderlecht struggled, with the game ending 3-3 and requiring penalties. Kompany’s men squeaked through with a 4-3 win from the spot. Kortrijk came to Brussels for the Quater final, with striker Christian Kouamé putting them to the sword. The striker, who was on loan from Fiorentina, would score 13 goals for the side that season. Five of these came in the cup, with two against Kortrijk.

Anderlecht’s semi-final was against Eupen, a side who at the time were a decent cup outfit. The first leg was in Eupen and ended 2-2, setting up an exciting second leg in Brussels. Anderlecht made home advantage count with a 3-1 win at home and a 5-3 aggregate win.

Standing in the way of Kompany and a first trophy as head coach of Anderlecht was Hein Vanhaezebrouck’s Gent. They had beaten Belisia, Lommel, Standard Liege and Club Brugge on their way to the final, a more impressive run on paper compared to Anderlecht.

During the regular season, Gent had missed out on the top four and ended up in play-off two, although they did then go on to win this and qualify for Europe. On the 18th April 2022, the two sides met at the King Baoudouin Stadium in what would be a cagey affair. Anderlecht’s Hendrik van Crombrugge was the busier of the two goalkeepers, but neither side could break the deadlock and the game ended 0-0 in both regular and extra time. Penalties were required, and sadly for Kompany, his most reliable player of that season would end up missing a crucial spot kick.

Josh Cullen had been with Anderlecht for two seasons after leaving West Ham. He had been an integral part of Kompany’s system and it is not surprising that the midfielder would follow Kompany to Burnley that summer. However, with the score at 4-3, Cullen stepped up. The Irish midfielder would only score one goal for Anderlecht during his 80 games. His penalty was by no means bad, aiming for the corner, but Davy Roef is something of a penalty specialist and he guessed well to make the save.

Gent defender Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui looked to have spared Cullen’s blushes and given the Mauves a lifeline when he missed the penalty that would have sealed Gent’s victory, with van Crombrugge making an excellent save. However, Panama international Michael Murillo saw Roef guess correctly for the second time in a row, winning the cup for Gent.

For Kompany, this marked the end of his time in charge at Anderlecht. The board believed that he could have achieved more, which led to him departing to take over at Burnley. He has certainly proven that this is one of the biggest mistakes Anderlecht have made in recent years. While he is leading Bayern Munich to trophies, the side are still waiting for their first piece of silverware since 2017. Perhaps they will end this drought tomorrow?

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson