Club Brugge KV vs Kortrijk

Club Brugge KV made their title defence look easy on opening night, brushing aside promoted Kortrijk 3-0 at Jan Breydel. The champions dominated possession from the first whistle, though the standout early moment came when new signing Han-beom Lee produced a brilliant recovery tackle to deny Kortrijk a shock lead after goalkeeper Sommer was caught off his line. Hugo Vetlesen broke the deadlock in the 30th minute, pouncing on a rebound after Joaquin Seys's shot came back off target. Club Brugge KV accelerated after the break, and Carlos Forbs doubled the lead in the 68th minute following another sharp defensive intervention from Lee. Six minutes later, Nicolo Tresoldi made it 3-0 from the penalty spot after Mamadou Diakhon was fouled in the box. Yellow cards went to James Ndjeungoue for the visitors and Freddie Potts for the hosts, though neither disrupted the contest. For Club Brugge KV, it was the ideal statement to launch a campaign in which manager Ivan Leko has demanded a "Champions League mentality." Kortrijk, back in the top flight after promotion, showed flashes of danger on the counter but lacked the quality to trouble their hosts for long, leaving plenty to work on before their next test.