Sobering home loss to Porto a good lesson says Club Brugge coach

BRUGES, Belgium: Club Brugge’s hopes for a gala night, as they looked to ensure top place in their Champions League group, turned sour on Wednesday as they lost their unbeaten record in a sobering 4-0 defeat by Porto who joined them in the last 16.

However, coach Carl Hoefkens shrugged it off as a good lesson for the Belgian champions ahead of the knockout phase next year.

Brugge were already guaranteed a top-two finish in Group B after a fairytale set of results against Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Porto, but were brought back down to earth as Porto avenged September’s 4-0 home loss to the Belgians.

“Defensively, it was not great,” Hoefkens said after Wednesday’s wake-up call.

“Those goals we conceded were definitely avoidable. I was curious about the next steps my players would take after doing so well in the Champions League and I think for many of them, this defeat is a good lesson, a learning moment,” he told the post-match news conference.

“We were up against a team that combined aggression with quality. We had to be able to offer more in return but everyone is entitled to an off-day or a match of lesser performance.”

Brugge needed a point to ensure first place but could now finish second as they visit Leverkusen next Tuesday when Porto, one point behind them, host Atletico.

A 2-2 draw in the Spanish capital on Wednesday means Atletico and Leverkusen are both out of Champions League contention.

Hoefkens said he still held out hopes of topping Group B.

“We have proven our ability in the previous matches. I certainly don’t want my players to think they’ve reached the limit of their capacity," he added.

"They just have to go for it and then their qualities will come to the fore. This match has exposed certain lesser