Cercle Brugge and St. Truiden played out a 3:3 draw at Stade Jan Breydel on Friday evening in the second round of the Jupiler Pro League. The match ended with an own goal in the 90th minute, cancelling out what had been a competitive encounter between two sides still finding their feet this season.
St. Truiden struck first through Ryan Merlen just one minute in, and here's the thing — it set the tone for a game where the visitors looked dangerous from the opening whistle. Nelson Ishiwatari picked up a yellow card in the 18th minute, and by then the hosts were already pressing for an equaliser. S. Ngoura brought Cercle level at the 28-minute mark, and Merlen restored St. Truiden's lead before half-time with his second.
N. Ishiwatari made it 3:2 for the visitors in the 47th minute, but Joedrick Pupe was cautioned for St. Truiden shortly after. The momentum shifted when E. Kakou came on for Cercle at 62 minutes, and the hosts refused to go away. Erick Nunes pulled one back in the 82nd minute, and Loïc Mbe Soh's own goal in stoppage time ensured neither side could claim victory.
Cercle Brugge dominated possession at 55 per cent and created six big chances compared to three for St. Truiden, yet the statistics tell only part of the story. The hosts registered 22 shots with eight on target, while the visitors managed just nine attempts but five of them hit the target. To be fair, St. Truiden were efficient with what they had, and their goalkeeper made six saves to compensate for the lack of pressure.
The result leaves Cercle Brugge in 14th place with two points from five games, while St. Truiden sit seventh on eight points. Both sides have now played five matches, and the gap between them remains significant. What this match showed was capacity from both teams to respond, rather than any definitive statement about where they stand in the table.