Union St. Gilloise became the champion of Belgium for the twelfth time in the club’s history on Sunday. Trainer Sebatién Pocognoli’s team won 3-1 against KAA Gent, putting an end to the curse of the championship competition.
Union knew that a win would be enough to crown themselves Belgian champion. The Brussels team started off well in the iconic Stade Joseph Marien. Within fifteen minutes, Franjo Ivanovic scored the opening goal from a cleverly taken corner. Just before half-time, Gent equalized.
The tension rose in the second half, but Promise Akinpelu took a leading role. With two goals within seven minutes, the striker secured the victory and the national title for Union.
Due to the championship, Union is also placed in the competitive phase of the Champions League. It is the first time in the club’s history that Union has competed in the group stage of the Champions League.
Union Ends Curse of Championship Competition
This title is the twelfth in the history of the Brussels team. The last championship dates back to 1935. The club had been in decline since the last title. In 1973, Union was relegated from the First Division, only to return to the highest level in 2021.
In the first season after their return, Union immediately finished first in the regular season, but things went wrong in the championship competition. In the two seasons after that, Union was always at the top after the regular season – only on points in the 2022/2023 season – but the title was not seized.
This season, Union finished third in the regular competition. Due to a strong series in the championship competition, Union passed Club Brugge and KRC Genk in the standings.