The player, who replaced injured Raphael Onyedika for Club Brugge in a 2-1 home loss to Atalanta in a UEFA Champions League tie, has admitted his mistake got the Italian club back into the match.
Cisse Sandra made a mistake with 15 minutes remaining when his back pass to Sabbe was too short, and Jackers would eventually commit a penalty foul for Atalanta to draw level.
“I’m really upset and I’m really pushing hard,” a devastated Sandra told VTM.
“Overall, I was happy with my match, but I take this personally. I realize the match turned after that.”
Atalanta then went in search of the winning goal, which came three minutes before the end
“That back-pass was a mistake, an avoidable individual error. It’s a small detail, but it changed the whole match. We were in control, but we gave them oxygen,” added Club Brugge coach Nicky Hayen.
“Cisse is still young, and making mistakes is part of football. I’ll also remember his first 70 minutes.”
Even before the clash, experts had predicted it would be difficult for the Belgian team to really replace
“Replacing Onyedika is a very difficult task,” said former Spurs star Toby Alderweireld.
“He will be missed.”
Vincent Mannaert – the man who brought Onyedika to Club Brugge – immediately chimed in: “He’s not easily replaced. He has a knack for reaching his best level in the Champions League. Besides recovering balls, he also plays well, which allows the transition to get going. It’s a loss.”
