2011–12 in Belgian football

none Belgium no 2011–12 2010–11 2012–13 yes The 2011–12 football season in Belgium, which is the 109th season of competitive football in the country and runs from July 2011 until June 2012. National team football Men's national football team Belgium national football team The Belgian national team started the 2011–12 season knowing they were still undefeated in 2011, but also knowing that they needed to make up for earlier mistakes during the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. With Germany topping the qualifying group with the maximum number of points after seven matches, the battle for second place and the resulting play-offs place was between Belgium and Turkey. Turkey was one point down, but had a game in hand. On 2 September 2011, all looked fine for the Belgians until the last few minutes, as Rauf Aliyev scored the equalizer for Azerbaijan against Belgium in Baku, while on the same day, Turkey scored a 96th-minute winner against Kazakhstan. Turkey now lead Belgium by one point and had a game in hand. Four days later, Belgium partially recovered mentally by beating the United States in a friendly, while Turkey dropped points away to Austria, only drawing 0–0. Turkey lost second place again as they were beaten 1–3 at home to Germany, while Belgium successfully put Kazakhstan away 4–1. On the last matchday, however, Belgium needed to match the result of Turkey and while Turkey hosted Azerbaijan, Belgium played an away game in Germany, who had won all their matches so far. The miracle did not happen for Belgium as they lost 3–1 and Turkey won 1–0, causing Belgium to miss out on yet another major tournament, still waiting for one since the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The general feeling in Belgium was one of a missed chance, as the Belgian team had shown promising football throughout the campaign, but often were not able to get or hold on to a needed result. Too many mistakes were made during the campaign, with many citing the 4–4 home draw with Austria, the 1–1 home draw with Turkey and the 1–1 away draw with Azerbaijan, which all should have been won. Coach Georges Leekens, however, not blamed, as his goal was to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. After the unsuccessful Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, Belgium continued with a series of friendlies to bridge the gap until the start of the 2014 World Cup qualification matches in September 2012. In November, Belgium overpowered Romania in a friendly in Liège, but only won 2–1 before drawing 0–0 with France in Paris. In February, a mediocre match in and against Greece resulted in a 1–1 draw. On 13 May, the Belgian soccer fans were shocked as head coach Georges Leekens decided to quit his position and become the head coach at Club Brugge. Assistant coach Marc Wilmots was persuaded to take over the position as caretaker, while the Royal Belgian Football Association looked for a new candidate. Wilmots led the team in a 2–2 friendly draw at home against Montenegro and a 1–0 loss against England at Wembley Stadium. In the week following these matches, Wilmots was appointed as the head coach of the national team. UEFA Euro 2012 qualification 2 September 2011 21:00 UTC+5 Azerbaijan 1 – 1 Report Belgium R. Aliyev 86 Simons 55 pen. Tofik Bakhramov Stadium, Baku 8,000 Lee Probert (England) D 7 October 2011 Belgium 4 – 1 Report Kazakhstan Simons 40 pen. Hazard 43 Kompany 49 Yevstigneyev 84 o.g. Nurdauletov 86 pen. King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels 29,578 Milorad Mažić (Serbia) W 11 October 2011 19:00 CET Germany 3 – 1 Report Belgium Özil 30 Schürrle 33 Gómez 48 Fellaini 86 Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf 48,483 Svein Oddvar Moen (Norway) L Friendlies 10 August 2011 20:45 CEST Slovenia 0 – 0 Report Belgium Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana Marijo Strahonja (Croatia) D 6 September 2011 20:45 CEST Belgium 1 – 0 Report United States Lombaerts 56 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels William Collum (Scotland) W 11 November 2011 20:45 CET Belgium 2 – 1 Report Romania Van Buyten 11Cociș 44 o.g. Niculae 67 Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège Saïd Ennjimi (France) W 15 November 2011 20:45 CET France 0 – 0 Belgium Stade de France, Saint-Denis 60,000 César Muñiz Fernández (Spain) D 29 February 2012 20:30 CET Greece 1 – 1 Summary Belgium Salpingidis 9 Chadli 32 Pankritio Stadium, Greece Daniel Stalhammar (Sweden) D 25 May 2012 20:45 CEST Belgium 2 – 2 Report Montenegro Mirallas 25Hazard 33 pen. Vučinić 6Drinčić 75 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels Clement Turpain (France) D 2 June 2012 18:15 CEST England 1 – 0 Report Belgium Welbeck 36 Wembley Stadium, England Peter Rasmussen (Denmark) L Women's national football team Belgium women's national football team Euro 2013 qualifying UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying 17 September 2011 16:00 BEL 2 – 1 Report HUN Wullaert 43Demoustier 85 Jakabfi 81 Lorzestraat, Dessel 389 Saša Ihringová (England) W 21 September 2011 21:30 ISL 0 – 0 Report BEL Laugardalsvollur, Reykjavík 2,968 Christine Beck (Germany) D 26 October 2011 16:00 BEL 0 – 1 Report NOR Lund 66 Lorzestraat, Dessel 933 Kateryna Monzul (Ukraine) L 19 November 2011 16:00 BEL 5 – 0 Report BUL Zeler 5 56Wiard 14 43Van Gils 70 Lorzestraat, Dessel Zuzana Kováčová (Slovakia) W 23 November 2011 13:00 BUL 0 – 1 Report BEL Demoustier 13 Lovech Stadium, Lovech Stéphanie Frappart (France) W 15 February 2012 20:00 BEL 2 – 2 Report NIR Zeler 44 Wullaert 53 O'Hagan 51 Nelson 83 Lorzestraat, Dessel Sandra Braz Bastos (Portugal) D 4 April 2012 19:00 BEL 1 – 0 Summary ISL Van Broeck 27Philtjens 45+1Wullaert 66 Magnusdottir 79 Lorzestraat, Dessel RUS Natalia Avdonchenko W 19 June 2012 17:00 HUN 1 – 3 Report BEL Dombai-Nagy 19 Mermans 13Cayman 65Wiard 77 Rohonci Street Stadium, Szombathely 225 AUT Tanja Schett W Men's national under-21 team Belgium national under-21 football team Friendly match 9 August 2011 21 Belgium 2 – 3 21 Turkey Benteke 9 29 Gülle 60Kaplan 70 87 Den Dreef, Heverlee, Belgium L U-21 Championship qualifiers The Belgium under-21 squad is currently in Group 8 of the qualification process for the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. 1 September 2011 19:00 21 ISL 2 – 1 21 BEL Sigurðarson 25 87 Benteke 42 Hlíðarendi, Reykjavík Miroslav Zelinka (Czech Republic) Report L 6 September 2011 18:00 21 BEL 4 – 1 21 AZE Bruno 2Mertens 35Meunier 81Benteke 83 Imamverdiyev 24 Olympisch Stadion, Antwerp Ivan Kružliak (Slovakia) Report W 10 October 2011 15:00 21 AZE 2 – 2 21 BEL Imamverdiyev 22Özkara 31 De Pauw 40De Jonghe 76 Dalga Arena, Baku Marius Avram (Romania) Report D 10 November 2011 19:00 21 NOR 2 – 2 21 BEL Pedersen 57de Lanlay 70 Bruno 2Badibanga 60 Viking Stadion, Stavanger Ilias Spathas (Greece) Report D 14 November 2011 20:45 21 BEL 2 – 1 21 ENG Naessens 72El Kaddouri 90+1 Kelly 14 Stade Charles Tondreau, Mons Harald Lechner (Austria) Report W 29 February 2012 18:00 21 ENG 4 - 0 21 BEL Lansbury 9 53Caulker 36Oxlade-Chamberlain 90+4 pen. Riverside Stadium ISR Liran Liany Summary L This leaves two matches, home to Norway and home to Iceland to be played in the next season. Promotion and relegation Team promoted to 2011–12 Belgian Pro League Belgian Second Division Champions: OH Leuven Playoff winners: Mons Teams relegated from 2010–11 Belgian Pro League 15th Place: Eupen (lost playoff) 16th Place: Charleroi Teams promoted to 2011–12 Belgian Second Division Belgian Third Division A Champions: Aalst Belgian Third Division B Champions: WS Woluwe Playoff winners: Sint-Niklaas Teams relegated from 2010-11 Belgian Second Division 16th Place, lost playoff: Turnhout 17th Place: Rupel Boom 18th Place: Tournai League competitions Belgian First Division 2011–12 Belgian Pro League Belgian Second Division 2011–12 Belgian Second Division European Club results Genk and Standard Liège participated in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League, while Westerlo, Club Brugge and Anderlecht started respectively in the second qualifying round, third qualifying round and playoff round of the Europa League. Partizan twice took the lead against Genk in the Third qualifying round, but Genk managed to overcome the deficit with a 2-1 victory at home and a 1–1 draw in Belgrade. After a 2–1 loss in Haifa and a 2–1 win in Genk, Genk needed penalty kicks to get past Maccabi Haifa in the Play-off round. Genk was drawn together with Bayer Leverkusen, Chelsea and Valencia and started with a promising 0-0 home draw against Valencia, followed by a 2–0 loss away to Leverkusen. After a 5–0 loss in London, supporters feared the worst when Chelsea came to play in Genk, but surprisingly, Chelsea was held to a 1–1 draw. Hopes were shattered on the next match day however, as Valencia humiliated Genk with a 7–0 victory, thereby eliminating Genk from European football with still one matchday to go. In the final match against already qualified Leverkusen, Genk maintained their unbeaten status at home, drawing for the third time. Unlike Genk, Standard was not able to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League, as they lost out 2–1 on aggregate to Zürich, thereby dropping into the Play-off round of the UEFA Europa League, where they were paired with Helsingborgs IF. After both a home and an away win, Standard moved on to Group B of the Group stage where they were coupled with Copenhagen, Hannover and Vorskla Poltava. After three wins and two draws, Standard qualified for the knockout phase and was sure of winning the group with still one match to go. In the knockout stages, Standard first beat Wisła Kraków on the away goals rule after drawing twice, before being paired again with Hannover 96 in the round of 16. Although Standard kept Hannover to a 2–2 draw at home, they were well beaten 4–0 in the return leg in Germany. Westerlo qualified for the third qualifying round of the Europa League by putting aside TPS Turku, where they lost out 5–1 on aggregate to Young Boys. Starting in the third qualifying round of the Europa League, Club Brugge needed to get past two opponents to qualify for the group stage. Club Brugge was twice given an unattractive draw in a far away region, as they first beat Qarabağ from Azerbaijan before eliminating Zestafoni from Georgia. Twice they secured the qualification at home and had trouble in their away match, losing 1–0 in Baku and only drawing 3–3 in Tbilisi. In the group stage, both Maribor (at home) and Braga (away) were beaten in the first two matches, before Club Brugge lost 1–2 at home to Birmingham City due to a 99th-minute winner from Chris Wood. After a 2–2 draw in Birmingham and the "miracle of Maribor" (3–4 win in Maribor when they were 3–0 down after 70 minutes), Club Brugge needed only a draw in their final home match against Braga to qualify as group winners. In the knockout stages, they were eliminated by Hannover 96 after losing both legs. Anderlecht qualified relatively easily for the group stage of the Europa League after eliminating Bursaspor 4–3 on aggregate, but their engine only started running properly during the group stage, where they scored a perfect six out of six victories. After putting away AEK Athens 4–1 at home, they stole the points away to Lokomotiv Moscow, winning 0–2. Then followed two wins against Sturm Graz, resulting in an early qualification already after four matchdays. In the last two matches, Anderlecht won away to AEK Athens and managed to finish the group with the maximum number of points after a final 5–3 home win against Lokomotiv. However, Anderlecht were then paired with AZ and lost both legs 1–0 in the round of 32. During the group stage, Anderlecht had equalled three records: They were only the third team to score the maximum number of points in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League after Red Bull Salzburg in 2009–10 and Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2010–11. Matías Suárez scored seven goals during the group stage, equalling the record set the previous season by Radamel Falcao with Porto. A total of 18 goals were scored, which equals the record set by CSKA Moscow and Zenit in 2010–11. DateTeamCompetitionRoundLegOpponentLocationScoreBelgian Team Goalscorers14 July 2011WesterloEuropa LeagueQual. Round 2Leg 1, AwayFIN TPS TurkuVeritas Stadion, Turku0-1Cabeke21 July 2011WesterloEuropa LeagueQual. Round 2Leg 2, HomeFIN TPS TurkuHet Kuipje, Westerlo0-026 July 2011GenkChampions LeagueQual. Round 3Leg 1, HomeSRB Partizan BelgradeCristal Arena, Genk2-1Vossen, Ogunjimi27 July 2011Standard LiègeChampions LeagueQual. Round 3Leg 1, HomeSUI ZürichStade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège1-1González28 July 2011Club BruggeEuropa LeagueQual. Round 3Leg 1, HomeAZE QarabağJan Breydel Stadium, Bruges4-1Vleminckx, Vázquez, Donk, Dirar28 July 2011WesterloEuropa LeagueQual. Round 3Leg 1, AwaySUI Young BoysStade de Suisse, Bern3-1Brüls3 August 2011GenkChampions LeagueQual. Round 3Leg 2, AwaySRB PartizanStadion FK Partizan, Belgrade1-1Vossen3 August 2011Standard LiègeChampions LeagueQual. Round 3Leg 2, AwaySUI ZürichLetzigrund, Zürich1-04 August 2011Club BruggeEuropa LeagueQual. Round 3Leg 2, AwayAZE QarabağTofiq Bahramov Stadium, Baku1-04 August 2011WesterloEuropa LeagueQual. Round 3Leg 2, HomeSUI Young BoysHet Kuipje, Westerlo0-217 August 2011GenkChampions LeaguePlayoff RoundLeg 1, AwayISR Maccabi HaifaKiryat Eliezer Stadium, Haifa2-1Barda18 August 2011AnderlechtEuropa LeaguePlay-off RoundLeg 1, AwayTUR BursasporBursa Atatürk Stadium, Bursa1-2Legear, Jovanović18 August 2011Club BruggeEuropa LeaguePlay-off RoundLeg 1, AwayGEO ZestafoniDavid Abashidze Stadium, Zestafoni3-3Akpala, Refaelov, Hoefkens18 August 2011Standard LiègeEuropa LeaguePlay-off RoundLeg 1, HomeSWE Helsingborgs IFStade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège1-0Tchité23 August 2011GenkChampions LeaguePlayoff RoundLeg 2, HomeISR Maccabi HaifaCristal Arena, Genk2-1 (aet)(pen 4–1)Vossen, Buffel25 August 2011AnderlechtEuropa LeaguePlay-off RoundLeg 2, HomeTUR BursasporConstant Vanden Stock Stadium, Anderlecht2-2Juhász, Jovanović25 August 2011Club BruggeEuropa LeaguePlay-off RoundLeg 2, HomeGEO ZestafoniJan Breydel Stadium, Bruges2-0Akpala (2)25 August 2011Standard LiègeEuropa LeaguePlay-off RoundLeg 2, AwaySWE Helsingborgs IFOlympia, Helsingborg1-3Leye, Berrier, Kanu13 September 2011GenkChampions LeagueGroup StageMatchday 1, HomeESP ValenciaCristal Arena, Genk0-015 September 2011AnderlechtEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 1, HomeGRE AEK AthensConstant Vanden Stock Stadium, Anderlecht4-1Suárez (3), Jovanović15 September 2011Club BruggeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 1, HomeSLO MariborJan Breydel Stadium, Bruges2-0Odjidja, Dirar15 September 2011Standard LiègeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 1, AwayGER Hannover 96AWD-Arena, Hanover0-028 September 2011GenkChampions LeagueGroup StageMatchday 2, AwayGER Bayer LeverkusenBayArena, Leverkusen2-029 September 2011AnderlechtEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 2, AwayRUS Lokomotiv MoscowLokomotiv Stadium, Moscow0-2Suárez, Mbokani29 September 2011Club BruggeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 2, AwayPOR BragaEstádio Municipal, Braga1-2Akpala, Donk29 September 2011Standard LiègeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 2, HomeDEN CopenhagenStade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège3-0Seijas, Felipe, Kanu19 October 2011GenkChampions LeagueGroup StageMatchday 3, AwayENG ChelseaStamford Bridge, London5-020 October 2011AnderlechtEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 3, AwayAUT Sturm GrazUPC-Arena, Graz0-2Gillet, Suárez20 October 2011Club BruggeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 3, HomeENG Birmingham CityJan Breydel Stadium, Bruges1-2Akpala20 October 2011Standard LiègeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 3, HomeUKR Vorskla PoltavaStade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège0-01 November 2011GenkChampions LeagueGroup StageMatchday 4, HomeENG ChelseaCristal Arena, Genk1-1Vossen3 November 2011Club BruggeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 4, AwayENG Birmingham CitySt Andrew's, Birmingham2-2Meunier, Akpala3 November 2011AnderlechtEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 4, HomeAUT Sturm GrazConstant Vanden Stock Stadium, Anderlecht3-0Gillet, Suárez, De Sutter3 November 2011Standard LiègeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 4, AwayUKR Vorskla PoltavaButovsky Vorskla Stadium, Poltava1-3Seijas, Kanu, Tchité23 November 2011GenkChampions LeagueGroup StageMatchday 5, AwayESP ValenciaMestalla Stadium, Valencia7-030 November 2011Club BruggeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 5, AwaySLO MariborLjudski vrt, Maribor3-4Dirar (2), Akpala, Donk30 November 2011Standard LiègeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 5, HomeGER Hannover 96Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège2-0Tchité, Cyriac 1 December 2011AnderlechtEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 5, AwayGRE AEK AthensOlympic Stadium, Athens1-2Gillet (2)6 December 2011GenkChampions LeagueGroup StageMatchday 6, HomeGER Bayer LeverkusenCristal Arena, Genk1-1Vossen14 December 2011AnderlechtEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 6, HomeRUS Lokomotiv MoscowConstant Vanden Stock Stadium, Anderlecht5-3Kljestan, Canesin, Wasilewski, Suárez, Gillet15 December 2011Club BruggeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 6, HomePOR BragaJan Breydel Stadium, Bruges1-1Vleminckx15 December 2011Standard LiègeEuropa LeagueGroup StageMatchday 6, AwayDEN CopenhagenParken Stadium, Copenhagen0-1Batshuayi16 February 2012AnderlechtEuropa LeagueRound of 32Leg 1, AwayNED AZAFAS Stadion, Alkmaar1-016 February 2012Club BruggeEuropa LeagueRound of 32Leg 1, AwayGER Hannover 96AWD-Arena, Hanover2-1Lestienne16 February 2012Standard LiègeEuropa LeagueRound of 32Leg 1, AwayPOL Wisła KrakówStadion im. Henryka Reymana1-1Cyriac23 February 2012AnderlechtEuropa LeagueRound of 32Leg 2, HomeNED AZConstant Vanden Stock Stadium, Anderlecht0-123 February 2012Club BruggeEuropa LeagueRound of 32Leg 2, HomeGER Hannover 96Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges0-123 February 2012Standard LiègeEuropa LeagueRound of 32Leg 2, HomePOL Wisła KrakówStade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège0-08 March 2012Standard LiègeEuropa LeagueRound of 16Leg 1, HomeGER Hannover 96Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège2-2Buyens, Tchité 15 March 2012Standard LiègeEuropa LeagueRound of 16Leg 2, AwayGER Hannover 96AWD-Arena, Hanover4-0 Other honours CompetitionWinnerCupLokerenSupercupThird division AMouscron-PéruwelzThird division BDessel SportPromotion AIzegemPromotion BBerchemPromotion CCappellenPromotion DCiney European qualification for 2012-13 summary CompetitionQualifiersReason for QualificationUEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round for ChampionsAnderlecht1st in Jupiler LeagueUEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round for Non-ChampionsClub Brugge2nd in Jupiler LeagueUEFA Europa League Play-off RoundLokerenCup winnerUEFA Europa League Third Qualifying RoundGenk3rd in Jupiler LeagueUEFA Europa League Second Qualifying RoundGentEuropa League Playoff winner See also 2011–12 Belgian Pro League 2011–12 Belgian Cup 2012 Belgian Super Cup Belgian Second Division Belgian Third Division: divisions A and B Belgian Promotion: divisions A, B, C and D References 30em 2011 Category:Football in Belgium by season Belgian Football Football