On Saturday evening, Cercle played the first game of six games in the European Playoffs at home against Standard. After a physical game that finished without any goals, Marcelin and Deman spoke to the press.
Marcelin and Deman react after a goalless draw against Standard
Cercle-Standard was a game full of duels, but without goals. The fact that the Groen-Zwart kept a clean sheet was partly due to Jean Harisson Marcelin, who played a good game in defence. “We didn't score any goals, so defensively it was good. Offensively it has to be better, because we couldn't score ourselves. I would have liked to have helped the team better in that area as well”, said the young Frenchman.
Cercle did get enough chances to score and could certainly have been awarded a penalty at the end of the match. Marcelin was disappointed, but accepts it: “There were some refereeing decisions that need to be reviewed, but the game is now over and the score cannot be changed. We have a point in our pockets and now we just have to keep working with a view to the matches to come.”
Olivier Deman also looked back on the game with mixed feelings: “We are strong at home and we always have to go for the three points. Both teams had good chances today and a draw was probably justified. Still, I thought the play with Siquet at the end was a clear penalty kick. There were even some guys from Standard who admitted it was a penalty. It was very unfortunate, because if the ball is on the spot, we will probably win the game.”
The match against Westerlo is scheduled for next week, and the Groen-Zwart will face a team against whom they could not win this season. “We still have something to correct against them, but I think we have the qualities to get something going there,” said Deman.
