Vanaken: "We dominated the entire match."
"We played an excellent game today. The penalty could have given the evening a different outlook, but we came through it well. We dominated the whole game, all the statistics show it. In the first half, we definitely had the chances to score four or five times before the break. After halftime, they adjusted their game a bit and had more ball possession, but then with Tzolis and Forbs we had a lot of space, so the chances kept coming. Tresoldi was excellent today, holding the ball very well, which gave us time to join in. The most important thing was to get off to a good start, and we did that today with a very strong performance."
Nicky Hayen: “Never let Monaco get into their game.”
"How many points would I give my team today? For the first half, 10 out of 10. I read somewhere that we won against a weak Monaco, but it’s to our credit that from minute one we didn’t let them get into their game. We played well between the lines and especially exploited the space behind their defense. That also resulted in a lot of chances. The only downside might be that the score should have been much higher, but of course we are very happy with this result. We know that goal difference can also be important, so in that respect this is an excellent start. It was night and day compared to Saturday. The energy and passion of our captain were an example for everyone. Leading by example. The way he played was of the highest class. But of course we hope for that every game and not just today. And that applies not only to Hans, but to the whole team. Deep down, I still feel bitter because we let it slip away on Saturday. Hopefully that match against La Louvière was a wake-up call. We just need to be more consistent. Against Rangers and last year against Atalanta we also delivered great performances, but then dropped points in the league. We have to keep working on reaching that high level match after match."
Carlos Forbs: "Vanaken is an excellent player."
"We owed it to ourselves to respond after the unexpected defeat last Saturday evening. And I think we did that. Tonight it was fun to play again, because we actually gave Monaco no chance at all and I’m happy that I was able to contribute in my own way. It was indeed a big difference compared to last Saturday, but that’s football. I must admit though that the circumstances were totally different and not comparable. And then there’s the phenomenon Hans Vanaken. What an excellent player he is. Both in training and during the match everything seems to come so naturally to him, but don't get me wrong, our captain is one of the best players I’ve ever had the chance to play with. From now on it’s one game at a time and then we’ll see where we end up."
Mechele: "We need to stick to this approach."
"It was an enjoyable evening, this is the Club Brugge we want to see. Dominant on the ball and pressing constantly. We created lots of chances and went into halftime with a nice lead. In the second half we tried to keep a bit more control. We played man-to-man at the back and gave very little space to Biereth and Balogun. We need to stick to this approach for next Sunday, where we must put this same kind of game on the pitch."
Kyriani Sabbe: “This was another strong game from us.”
"This was another strong game from us. We nearly had a heart attack when the referee awarded a penalty after about ten minutes following an intervention by Simon Mignolet, but luckily for us Simon saved the penalty kick and that gave us a boost, after which we played an incredible first half. I still don’t understand why the VAR didn’t intervene then, because that was certainly not a penalty, but anyway. At halftime it was 3-0, but if we had been a little bit more efficient, the scoreline should already have been a rout. In the second half we were a bit too sloppy, lost the ball too often, and Monaco managed to score a consolation goal. Our captain Hans Vanaken was at his best again and scored by far the most beautiful goal of the evening. Yes, both Union and us started the Champions League campaign strongly and that’s only good for Belgian football."