Club Brugge star Raphael Onyedika (23) says he felt amazing despite his team’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in Wednesday’s Champions League match.
In the thrilling four-goal clash at the Etihad Stadium, the Nigerian international delivered a standout performance and gave the Belgians the lead against the Citizens.
Onyedika took advantage of poor defending by the hosts to fire past Ederson just before the break, but his team still ended up on the losing side.
Despite the defeat, the midfielder is happy to have scored against Pep Guardiola’s team and explained why Club Brugge couldn't hold on despite their strong start.
"I don’t know how to put it but it's an amazing feeling to score my first goal inside Manchester City stadium. I feel so proud.
"We knew it would be difficult. After they got their first goal in which we were a bit sloppy, they had more momentum and more energy.
"From that point, it was much more difficult for us and we made a couple of mistakes."
After the final whistle against Manchester City, Nicky Hayen’s men looked disappointed, believing they had been eliminated from Europe’s top club competition.
However, they erupted in celebration upon realising they had advanced to the next stage.
Onyedika is thrilled with his team’s progress and says their goal is to keep improving and prove the critics wrong who had written off the Belgian Pro League side at the start of the competition.
He continued: "It’s an amazing feeling to qualify for the next round, especially because no one gave us a chance at the start of the competition, given the tough group we were drawn into.
"At the beginning, many didn’t expect us to make it this far. Our main goal was to come to the Etihad Stadium and try to get some points, even though we knew it wouldn’t be easy.
"Unfortunately, we lost the match, but we were fortunate to qualify in the end. This qualification is a huge achievement for us, and we are proud of the effort and determination we’ve shown throughout the competition.
"Now, we must keep working hard and continue to improve, as we aim to prove to everyone that we belong at this level and that we can challenge the best teams in Europe."
Heading to the Etihad Stadium, the 19-time league champions had been on an impressive unbeaten run of 20 matches, dating back to October 22nd, 2024, when they suffered a 3-1 loss to AC Milan in a Champions League match at the San Siro.
The Super Eagles striker shared insights into what has made his team so strong.
He added: "We are more organised now, and there’s a lot of confidence in the team. We support each other, fighting together, defending together, and attacking together.
"Everything is clicking, and we’re continuing to improve as a unit. This strong sense of unity and togetherness is what’s driving us forward and helping us perform well on the field."
Onyedika played the full 90 minutes, and aside from his goal, he made one key pass, completed one successful dribble, had 35 touches, and completed 25 passes with an 80% passing accuracy.
Defensively, he made one tackle and three clearances. He was rated as Club Brugge’s second-best player of the night, behind Brandon Mechele.
"I'm sitting here with a feeling of pride and relief. Proud that you presented yourself in a positive way the entire campaign... also tonight," manager Hayen told the media.
"In addition, a feeling of relief, because after the matches against Dortmund and AC Milan you were left with a goal difference that was not positive and that this could still cause difficulties. That is why we are relieved that we did make it and also deserved it."
Next up for Club Brugge is a league match against Royal Antwerp on Sunday. They currently sit second in the standings, having earned 48 points from 23 matches played so far in the 2024-25 campaign.
This post first appeared on Flashscore
