Mbaye's Late Strike Earns Zulte-Waregem a 2-2 Draw with Cercle Brugge

WAREGEM, BELGIUM — It was Malick Mbaye who had the final say at Elindus Arena, the substitute rifling home in the 77th minute to salvage a 2-2 draw for Zulte-Waregem against Cercle Brugge KSV in a pulsating Belgian Pro League encounter. The hosts had clawed their way back twice, refusing to surrender despite Cercle's persistent threat, in a match that swung dramatically from one end to the other. With possession split evenly at 50%-50% throughout, neither side could claim dominance, and the final scoreline felt a fair reflection of a contest that produced four goals and no shortage of tension.

Cercle Brugge had arrived in Waregem carrying genuine confidence, having beaten both Anderlecht and KAA Gent in recent weeks, and they made their intentions clear early. The visitors took the lead in the 28th minute when Edan Diop broke the deadlock, finishing with composure to give Cercle the advantage they had been building toward. The goal silenced the home supporters and rewarded a Cercle side that had been the more threatening in the opening half-hour. Zulte-Waregem, meanwhile, had endured a turbulent first period even before the goal, with Enrique Lofolomo picking up a yellow card in the 16th minute and Marley Aké following him into the referee's book just ten minutes later at the 26th-minute mark.

The second half brought a dramatic shift in momentum. Zulte-Waregem's coaching staff moved decisively, introducing Wilguens Paugain and Yannick Cappelle in the 58th minute, and the double substitution paid immediate dividends. Just sixty seconds later, Laurent Lemoine levelled the contest in the 59th minute, tucking home to restore parity and reignite the Elindus Arena. The equaliser transformed the atmosphere entirely, and for a spell it appeared the hosts might push on and claim all three points.

But Cercle Brugge had other ideas. The visitors were awarded a penalty in the 71st minute, and Oumar Diakité stepped up to convert with authority, drilling the ball past the Zulte-Waregem goalkeeper to restore the visitors' lead. It was a gut punch for the home side, who had worked so hard to draw level. Diakité's spot-kick appeared to have settled the contest, with Cercle's defensive organisation looking capable of protecting the advantage through the final quarter of the match.

Yet Zulte-Waregem refused to fold. Manager turned once more to his bench, sending on Malick Mbaye in the 76th minute, and the substitute needed barely sixty seconds to make his mark. In the 77th minute, Mbaye found the net to make it 2-2, sending the home faithful into raptures and stunning a Cercle Brugge side that had seemed so close to securing three points. It was a moment of pure drama — a substitute writing himself into the story within moments of his arrival.

The statistics told the story of a genuinely even contest. The teams shared possession almost equally at 50%-50%, and the match's competitive nature was underlined by the disciplinary record — four yellow cards were distributed across both sides, with Cercle's Diop, Názinho, and Hannes Van Der Bruggen all cautioned, the latter in stoppage time at the 92nd minute. Zulte-Waregem's goalkeeper produced three saves across the ninety minutes, while Cercle's stopper was not called upon to make a single stop — a reflection of where the home side's attacking efforts were directed and how clinical Cercle were when they did threaten.

The closing stages were nervy, with Cercle introducing Steve Ngoura and Oluwaseun Adewumi in the 83rd minute in an attempt to hold on, while Zulte-Waregem brought on Benoit De Jaegere in the 86th minute as both sides pushed for a winner that never came. The final whistle confirmed the stalemate, leaving both camps with mixed emotions.

The scoreboard resets; the table does not. Zulte-Waregem, who have now won just once in their last five league matches, will need to find greater consistency, while Cercle Brugge will rue the late equaliser that denied them a hard-earned victory on the road.