Cercle Brugge 2-3 Zulte-Waregem: Zulte Stun the Hosts to Extend Winning Run

Zulte-Waregem continued their blistering run of form by claiming a stunning 3-2 victory at Cercle Brugge on Friday evening, handing the hosts a painful home defeat and extending their own winning streak to three consecutive matches.

Match Summary

Cercle Brugge entered this Pro League clash on the back of back-to-back wins, including an impressive 4-1 thrashing of Dender away from home, and appeared well placed to extend that momentum at Jan Breydel. The pre-match AI model favoured the hosts with a 40% win probability and tipped a 2-1 scoreline — a prediction that looked plausible on paper given Cercle's recent attacking output.

Zulte-Waregem, however, had their own story to tell. They had swept aside La Louvière twice in quick succession, winning 0-2 away before hammering them 4-0 at home, and arrived in Bruges with real confidence coursing through the squad. That confidence proved justified as they produced an extraordinary away performance, scoring three goals while conceding two in a breathless five-goal contest.

The BTTS and over 2.5 goals probabilities — both sitting at 55% before kick-off — proved prophetic, even if the overall winner did not match the model's prediction.

Key Moments

The final scoreline of 3-2 tells the story of a match that ebbed and flowed but ultimately belonged to Zulte-Waregem. The visitors showed admirable resilience and attacking quality, finding answers whenever Cercle threatened to swing momentum back in their favour. Cercle's two goals were not enough to prevent defeat, and the Bruges side now must regroup after losing ground at home.

For Zulte-Waregem, this result is their biggest scalp of the current winning run. Away victories are always premium currency in football, and beating a side that had won their last two games, including by a four-goal margin, underlines just how sharp the squad is right now.

What It Means

The defeat is a significant blow to Cercle Brugge's momentum. After their two dominant victories over Dender, they will have expected to carry that form into a home fixture, but the 2-3 reverse reveals vulnerabilities at the back that opponents will study. Conceding three goals at home is a concern that head coach will need to address quickly.

Zulte-Waregem, meanwhile, look like a side firing on all cylinders. Three straight wins, nine goals scored, and now a road victory against a decent Cercle side — the trajectory is firmly upward. With the confidence of a 4-0 and 2-0 win already banked, this 3-2 triumph shows they can also grind out results in tighter, high-scoring affairs.

The AI prediction of a home 2-1 win fell short on both the winner and the goal tally, though the over 2.5 and both teams to score markets aligned precisely with the model's expectations. With a confidence level of just 45%, the model essentially flagged this as a coin-flip — and Zulte-Waregem came up heads in spectacular fashion.