'It could just happen again in football' – Genk wary of Barcelona-style comeback
Despite taking a big lead into the second leg against their Belgian rivals, the Catalans’ incredible comeback is playing on the mind of the coach
Having seen Barcelona’s remarkable comeback knock Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League, Genk remain wary of Gent ahead of their Europa League last-16 second leg – despite a 5-2 away win.
Genk were in rampant form in the first leg on Thursday and led 4-1 before half-time, seeing off the hosts’ attempt of a second-half fightback to return to the Luminus Arena with a three-goal cushion.
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However, with Barca’s phenomenal 6-1 win over PSG on Wednesday that overturned a 4-0 first-leg deficit still fresh in the mind, Genk coach Albert Stuivenberg is not foolish enough to write off Gent.
“We obviously saw something unique in Barcelona, but it could just happen again in football,” said Stuivenberg.
“We must ensure that we spend the next week preparing to reach a successful conclusion. First, we should focus on the league game against Westerlo on Sunday, but now we have to recover and enjoy this victory.”
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And Genk midfielder Thomas Buffel also cited Barca’s incredible performance as a warning to his side as they look to get the job done on home turf.
“Have we already qualified? No,” he added. “We have seen the spectacle [of the Barca game] and we must remain humble.”