Champions League Upset: Union Saint-Gilloise Defeat PSV Eindhoven
Belgian Pro League champions Union Saint-Gilloise shocked Eredivisie champions PSV in Eindhoven with a 3-1 win on their UEFA Champions League debut.
Union Saint-Gilloise secure their first-ever Champions League win with a stunning 3-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven...
After being forced to get subbed off with a head injury in last weekend's 5-3 win over NEC, Armando Obispo returned to PSV's starting lineup, along with Ryan Flamingo and Yarek Gasiorowski, who started at left-back in the absence of Mauro Junior and Kiliann Sildillia.
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, who made their UEFA Champions League debut 128 years after the club's founding, started without forward Raul Florucz, who sat out a European suspension, and Englishman Ross Sykes. Kevin Rodriguez replaced Florucz and filled the right wing, whereas Christian Burgess replaced compatriot Sykes at the back
Ismael Saibari had a golden opportunity to put PSV ahead early on, but he couldn't capitalize on the chance. Instead, PSV's defense made a critical error when American striker Ricardo Pepi, dropping deep to help out, accidentally booted Christian Burgess in a bid to clear the ball, resulting in a penalty for Union Saint-Gilloise.
PSV Eindhoven's Ruben van Bommel became the second Van Bommel to feature in the Champions League, following in his father Mark van Bommel's footsteps. Van Bommel had a promising attack on Kjell Scherpen's goal, unleashing a powerful shot that unfortunately crashed against the crossbar.
Meanwhile, Ricardo Pepi's mistake proved costly once again. The American midfielder lost possession in midfield, allowing Anour Ait El Hadj to launch a remarkable solo effort. El Hadj dribbled across the entire PSV half before scoring a stunning goal, beating the Czech goalkeeper Kovar at the near post.
After his costly miss in the first half, Saibari missed an even bigger chance ten minutes into the second half. A carefully crafted attack saw Guus Til launch the ball across Union's box and towards Saibari, who blasted the ball wide in front of a wide-open goal.
Unable to change the momentum, PSV played a quiet second half as Union came close to the 3-0 via Anan Khalali and Ousseynou Niang, but could not find a third goal before the 80th minute.
Kevin Mac Allister sealed the win for Union Saint-Gilloise in the 80th minute, tapping the ball into an empty net after Christian Burgess headed down a corner kick. This goal further compounded PSV Eindhoven's woes, who were already struggling to cope with the loss of striker Myron Boadu just seven minutes into his substitute appearance. Boadu's injury forced him off the pitch, leaving PSV to deal with the challenge of containing Union Saint-Gilloise's momentum.
A win for Union SG in their first-ever Champions League game 💛💙#UCL pic.twitter.com/qHFNnzFuKF
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 16, 2025
PSV eventually got on the board with a consolation goal in the 90th minute, when Guus Til profited from a failed clearance and finished a one-on-one with Scherpen.
It was a goal merely for the history books as Union Saint-Gilloise celebrated a historic win in Eindhoven, where they grabbed their first UEFA Champions League win in club history. The Belgians continue their European campaign in two weeks, when Newcastle United will visit Brussels on October 1st.
PSV, meanwhile, lose their fifth Champions League opener in a row and will need to clean up their flaws before visiting Bayer Leverkusen on October 1st, when the Eredivisie champions play their next European game.
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