Frustration among players after defeat

SATURDAY, 16 MAY 2026, 10:37 - lajoya
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OTHER On Sunday Anderlecht must get back to work for an important match, but there will be a few fires to put out in the coming days. Bertaccini, Camara and Cvetkovic spoke to Sporza after the lost cup final and were visibly disappointed and critical. Bertaccini said "Union deserved to win." He felt Anderlecht had hardly any chances and that there were far too many long balls, which Union dealt with comfortably. He noted there was no adjustment from the bench, while adding that the players themselves should have known better in that moment.


He also pointed out that the starting lineup was only announced to the players an hour before kick-off and argued it would be better to know the eleven earlier for such an important match. "I saw starters who began the match with their heads down," he said, and added he had been disappointed after the Gent match that he was not allowed to start. In the end he said small things decided the final and that nerves were not decisive. "Okay, it will sit in our heads for a while, but we must move on and learn from this."


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Cvetkovic, who was interviewed first, was less talkative. The Serbian, who had levelled the score for Anderlecht, said he felt the team was in the game but suddenly conceded two goals. Camara said he was still in shock after the defeat, because the whole season had been fought for the chance to win this final. He called the match emblematic of the season — small mistakes that Union exploited. He agreed with Bertaccini that the long balls were not ideal, but added the nuance that Union pressed very well, which sometimes made long balls the only option. Coach Taravel responded by noting that the starting lineup is often only communicated to the players an hour before the game. He also reminded them that "they mustn't forget they're not playing for themselves, but for Anderlecht." Taravel said he did not yet know how serious Nathan De Cat's injury is.

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