Nigerian winger Babatunde Akinsola has been named Player of the Match after inspiring Cercle Brugge to their first league victory of the 2026/27 Belgian Pro League season with two goals in their 2-1 win over Royal Antwerp on Sunday.

According to a post on Cercle Brugge's official X account on Monday, November 2, 2026, the 23-year-old produced an outstanding performance at the Jan Breydel Stadium, scoring twice in the second half to give his team their first league win of the campaign.

The victory brought an end to Cercle Brugge's nine-game search for a league triumph and provided a significant lift to their efforts to avoid relegation.

Akinsola opened the scoring just three minutes into the second half, completing an impressive individual move with a left-footed effort from outside the box that found the bottom-right corner in the 48th minute.

His goal came after a first half in which neither side managed to score, despite Royal Antwerp creating opportunities to take the lead. However, Cercle goalkeeper Gaëtan Coucke and defender Geoffrey Kondo made important interventions to keep the visitors at bay.

The Nigerian doubled his team's advantage in the 61st minute, calmly finishing from close range after being set up by Steve Ngoura.

The French forward was instrumental in the victory, providing the assists for both of Akinsola's goals as Cercle Brugge established control of the match.

Royal Antwerp refused to give up and managed to reduce the deficit in the 81st minute through substitute Modibo Fofana.

The visitors continued searching for an equaliser during a tense final period, but Cercle Brugge's defence remained organised and protected their lead through eight minutes of added time.

Akinsola's decisive contribution earned him the Player of the Match award, further highlighting his importance to Cercle Brugge's much-needed success.

According to OLTA Football's match ratings, the Nigerian attacker received an impressive score of 8.7, the highest rating recorded by any player from either team. He also registered two shots on target, with both attempts finding the back of the net.

The victory moved Cercle Brugge away from the bottom of the Belgian Pro League table and into 17th place with six points, taking them above KV Kortrijk, who still have a match in hand.

The result also doubled Cercle Brugge's previous points tally, while Royal Antwerp remained in 11th position with 10 points after suffering the defeat.