| 1992 Belgian Cup final | |
| Event: | 1991–92 Belgian Cup |
| Team1: | Antwerp |
| Team1score: | 2 |
| Team2: | KV Mechelen |
| Team2score: | 2 |
| Details: | After extra time Antwerp won 9–8 on penalties |
| Date: | 7 June 1992 |
| Stadium: | Olympiastadion |
| City: | Bruges |
| Referee: | Alphonse Constantin |
| Attendance: | 20,000 |
| Previous: | 1994 |
| Next: | 1993 |
The 1992 Belgian Cup final took place on 7 June 1992 between Royal Antwerp and KV Mechelen and was the 37th Belgian Cup final. Both clubs got a chance to win their second Belgian Cup, after Antwerp had already won in 1955, while Mechelen was victorious in 1987. The match ended in a 2–2 draw after extra time and was won by Antwerp on penalty kicks (9–8).[1] Antwerp thus qualified for the 1992–93 European Cup Winners' Cup where it would go on to lose the final.[2]
36 years later both clubs would again meet in the final of the 2022–23 Belgian Cup.[3]
See also: 1991–92 Belgian Cup.
| Antwerp | KV Mechelen | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Legs | Round | Opponent | Result | Legs | |
| Mol | 3–0 | 3–0 away | Round of 64 | Brainois | 3–0 | 3–0 home | |
| Union SG | 1–0 | 1–0 home | Round of 32 | Olympic Charleroi | 3–0 | 3–0 away | |
| Tienen | 1–0 | 1–0 home | Round of 16 | RFC Liège | 2–1 | 2–1 away | |
| Lommel | 2–1 | 0–1 away; 2–0 home | Quarter-finals | Beveren | 2–1 | 0–0 away; 2–1 home | |
| Gent | 2–1 | 1–1 away; 1–0 home | Semi-finals | Standard Liège | 3–1 | 1–1 home; 2–0 away |
While the first half was a dull affair, KV Mechelen took the initiative in the second half and got the best chances to take the lead with Marc Emmers seeing his shot punched away by Svilar, Philippe Albert dribbling past several Antwerp players and Zlatko Arambasic missing a big opportunity. Antwerp was able to open the score against the run of play, with Wim Kiekens heading in a free kick by Patrick Van Veirdeghem with just under 20 minutes to play. Somewhat later a penalty kick could possibly have been given for a tackle by Gijsbrechts on Alex Czerniatynski but referee Alphonse Constantin judged it not to be a foul. Mechelen was not able to respond until two minutes before the end of the regular time when Zlatko Arambasic was able to outrun the entire Antwerp defense and score the equalizer.
Mechelen kept the momentum going as only five minutes into extra-time René Eijkelkamp was able to convert a long-range kick over Svilar to give his team the lead. At the other end Michel Preud'homme needed cat-like reflexes to keep Czerniatynski from heading in the equalizer. With several Mechelen players starting to become fatigued and suffer from cramps, it seemed inevitable that Antwerp would score. First Hans-Peter Lehnhoff hit the crossbar, but eventually just three minutes before the end of the game, Alex Czerniatynski was able to easily tap in a loose ball after Michel Preud'homme could not hold on to a difficult shot by Willy Vincent.
The penalty shootout would become the longest ever in a Belgian Cup Final (and still is as of 2022), as 22 penalty kicks were needed to decide a winner, with Ratko Svilar eventually saving the shot by Lei Clijsters.
The details of the game are summarized in the following table:
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Match rules
