A cagey opening

From the first whistle, KFC Nijlen looked to impose themselves on home turf, moving the ball quickly through midfield and pushing Flenu deep into their own half. The visitors, however, were well organised and happy to defend in numbers, looking to hit Nijlen on the counter-attack. Despite several periods of sustained pressure from the home side, Flenu’s back line held firm, and the opening 45 minutes produced more industry than inspiration.

Second-half stalemate

After the interval, the tempo increased slightly as both teams recognised the importance of avoiding a replay. Nijlen introduced fresh legs in wide areas, and their crossing grew more dangerous, but each promising delivery was cleared by a determined Flenu defence. At the other end, Flenu threatened on the break, forcing a sharp save from the Nijlen goalkeeper and sending a couple of efforts narrowly wide. Yet as the final whistle approached, clear-cut chances remained scarce and a 0-0 draw felt increasingly inevitable.

What it means

With the Belgian Cup tie locked at 0-0 after normal time, the contest moved into extra time and ultimately a penalty shootout to decide who would advance. For KFC Nijlen, the clean sheet offered reason for encouragement, while FC Flenu could take confidence from a disciplined away performance. Both sets of supporters left with the outcome still in the balance, knowing that a single moment of quality would have been enough to separate the two sides in this absorbing cup battle.