Club Brugge stunned Zenit St. Petersburg with a stoppage-time winner from Charles De Ketelaere to win 2-1 in their opening game of the Champions League group stage Tuesday.
The game was heading for a 1-1 draw when Brugge put together a slick passing move which ended with Ruud Vormer crossing to leave the unmarked De Ketelaere with a simple finish.
Earlier, Emmanuel Bonaventure Dennis gave Brugge the lead in the 63rd minute after keeping the ball in play on the right touchline and feeding it into the box for De Ketalaere to hit a shot blocked on the line by Yaroslav Rakitskyy. Dennis reacted quickly to knock in the rebound.
Brugge's team players celebrate after scoring their side's second goal during the Champions League group F soccer match between Zenit St.Petersburg and Brugge at the Saint Petersburg stadium in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. (AP PhotoMike Kireev)
U.S. national team goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, replacing Simon Mignolet for Brugge after Mignolet was diagnosed with the coronavirus, was credited with an own goal for Zenit’s leveler but could do little about it. Dejan Lovren’s fierce shot from well outside the box cracked against the post and bounced in off the back of the diving Horvath.
Zenit had enough chances to win the game convincingly, but Vyacheslav Karavaev skewed a shot narrowly wide shortly after Brugge's opener and Sebastian Driussi scooped the ball over the bar with only Horvath to beat. The U.S. keeper showed good reactions to push away Artyom Dzyuba's shot in the 79th.
There was a sizeable crowd in the Gazprom Arena for the game, despite the coronavirus pandemic. UEFA allowed spectators to attend up to 30% capacity for the game at the 68,000-seat stadium. Fans wore masks and generally followed social distancing rules.
Zenit's Sardar Azmoun, right, tries to score past Brugge's goalkeeper Ethan Horvath during the Champions League group F soccer match between Zenit St.Petersburg and Brugge at the Saint Petersburg stadium in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. (AP PhotoMike Kireev)
Lazio hosted Borussia Dortmund in the late game in Group F.
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Stadium's roof is closed during the Champions League group F soccer match between Zenit St.Petersburg and Brugge at the Saint Petersburg stadium in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. (AP PhotoMike Kireev)
Zenit's Magomed Ozdoev, right, and Brugge's Emmanuel Bonaventure fight for the ball during the Champions League group F soccer match between Zenit St.Petersburg and Brugge at the Saint Petersburg stadium in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. (AP PhotoMike Kireev)