Club Brugge suffered an early setback to their 2026 campaign after bowing out of the Belgian Cup following a 2–0 defeat to Royal Charleroi on Tuesday night.
The quarter-final clash proved a frustrating outing for Blauw-Zwart, with South African international Shandre Campbell enduring a nightmare cameo that ended in a straight red card deep into stoppage time.
Match Recap
Charleroi struck first in the 20th minute after Club Brugge conceded a penalty, which Parfait Guiagon calmly converted. The Ivorian attacker doubled the hosts’ lead just before halftime, unleashing a long-range strike to put Charleroi firmly in control at the break.
Despite enjoying spells of possession and pushing for a route back into the contest, Club Brugge struggled to turn dominance into clear-cut chances, with the scoreline unchanged throughout the second half.
Campbell’s Red Card Incident
Campbell, 20, was introduced in the 86th minute as Brugge searched for inspiration, but his night quickly turned sour. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, the Bafana Bafana winger was shown a straight red card after chasing down and forcibly pushing Charleroi defender Jules Gaudin, sending him to the ground.
The incident came after Gaudin had pulled Campbell, prompting the youngster to retaliate — a reaction that left the referee with little option but to produce the red card.
Coach Reacts
Club Brugge head coach Ivan Leko did not hide his disappointment after the final whistle.
“I’m very disappointed, especially with the result,” Leko said via the club’s official website.
“We started the match well and dominated, often getting the ball into the final 20 to 30 metres. But after that, we weren’t patient enough and wanted to finish too quickly, which led to poor decisions.”
Leko also pointed to Charleroi’s efficiency and the playing conditions as decisive factors.
“They were very dangerous on the counterattack, and we made a mistake for the penalty. The pitch suited more direct football, and in that respect, Charleroi were better and deserved the victory.”