Romeo Vermant: “I had the feeling we were physically stronger” | OneFootball

What a week it's been for Romeo Vermant! After a contract renewal until 2026, the young striker was given a starting spot in the match against Racing Genk. The youngster showed his eagerness and almost opened the scoring for Blauw-Zwart.

“Earlier this week Roman had signalled a problem with his calf, so I prepared myself to be ready for this match. Then you see your name among the starters and you try your best to help the team. I almost scored, if Vandevoordt didn't tip my effort against the bar. That would have changed the outcome of this match, but unfortunately it didn't go in. It was a difficult match. I don't think we deserved to be behind. We worked hard and I believe we were physically stronger than Genk and were going to grab the win. But we conceded the second and third goal too easily. With just five minutes on the clock it's almost impossible to get anything out of this match."

Romeo started in 1B (second division) and now finishes the season as a striker in the first team. "It has been a rollercoaster: from the games in 1B, to training with the first team and then playing. I tried to prepare myself physically for this moment and now I want to take my chance. It is not easy to play when there is nothing left to gain. You try to stay motivated. It is a good preparation for next season, but it is a new season with different players and competition. Then I have to put my best foot forward myself. We'll see how it goes."

The final match at Union will attract a lot of attention. "You noticed that the supporters don't want to see Antwerp become champions. We as players just wanted to take the three points, go full for that win and show that we can play for the title. They will look at our performance and how we will present ourselves there. Union will not get a free pass next week because we will also play to win there. Union will need to be better than us if they want to lift the title. It is that simple." (KN)