Brugge coach laments Onyedika UCL ban for Atletico clash

Club Brugge head coach Ivan Leko and former striker Marc Degryse have lamented the suspension of Nigerian midfielder Raphael Onyedika for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout playoff tie against Atletico Madrid, warning that his absence will force the Belgian side to seek an entirely different tactical solution, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Onyedika was booked in the 76th minute for a foul on Marcos Llorente during Wednesday’s breathtaking 3-3 first-leg draw at Jan Breydel Stadium, triggering an automatic one-match ban under UEFA rules that rules him out of the return fixture at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid next week.

The 24-year-old had been the standout performer on the night, scoring in the 51st minute to spark Brugge’s comeback from two goals down and providing the assist for Christos Tzolis’s dramatic 89th-minute equaliser. His contributions helped cancel out strikes from Atletico’s Julian Alvarez and fellow Nigerian Ademola Lookman, as well as an own goal by Joel Ordonez.

“We don’t have another Rapha, so we’ll have to find another solution,” Leko said after the match.

“Losing Onyedika for the second leg is a significant blow for Club Brugge.”

Former Club Brugge forward and Belgian football pundit Marc Degryse echoed those concerns, warning that the side could struggle to replicate their energy and defensive stability without the Super Eagles man.

Speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws, Degryse said, “Club will miss Onyedika. Ivan Leko will be a bit of a search.

“I think you can easily move Aleksandar Stankovic back a bit to that number six position. Granted, Stankovic is a bit weaker defensively than Onyedika. But he’s comfortable on the ball and can distribute the play.”

Onyedika’s ability to arrive late into the box, a quality he demonstrated so vividly against Atletico, will be particularly difficult to replicate. The tie remains finely balanced at 3-3 on aggregate, and Club Brugge will need to produce another commanding performance in Spain to advance to the quarter-finals without their most influential midfielder.

The coach, however, was keen to shift focus quickly, saying, “That’s for next week, now we have to focus on our league match next Saturday. Then the focus shifts to the return leg. We have confidence in our football and believe we can get a result there.”

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