Belgium Recap: Durkin & Efford both start but taste defeat at home

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Chris Durkin started for Sint-Truiden and Joe Efford did the same for Waasland-Beveren but both teams came up short in weekend Belgian action.

Sint-Truiden 0 – 2 Kortrijk

Chris Durkin again got the nod and went the distance for Sint-Truiden but the Canaries, who started the season with a victory have only added one point since then, this time falling at the Stayen to Kortrijk on Saturday night.

The Kerels scored their goals very early and then very late to secure the victory on the road.  Faiz Selemani struck the first one in the very first minute and Pape Guèye scored his in stoppage time.

The lead came when the ball was crossed by Gilles Dewaele and his Senegalese teammate made the most of it. 

The hosts thought they got their equalizer when Daiki Hashioka struck a shot at the KVK keeper and saw the ball slip through his legs.  The Japanese defender thought he had scored his first goal of the season but VAR was consulted and the man from the Land of the Rising Sun was denied.

The visitors had another half-chance before the break from Kevin D’Haene but the Belgian blew his chance. 

STVV came out for the second half was a goal on their mind but their chances were never taken.  On the counter in the 93rd minute, however, Kortrijk put the game to bed when second-half sub Guèye scored on the counter-attack. 

The loss leaves Durkin and his team with just 4 points out of 15.  They’ll look to get back to winning ways however when they head west to take on Cercle Brugge Saturday evening.

Waasland-Beveren 0 – 2 Deinze 

Joe Efford put in an 85-minute shift but was unable to make a difference as his Lions surrendered a pair of goals and all three points to visiting Deinze.  Jacob Montes, who joined the team on loan from Crystal Palace, was not named to the team sheet.

Deinze, who drew their first game of the season, came away with their first victory thanks to goals on either side of the break.  Dylan De Belder put his team in front after only 4 minutes into the game and Lennart Mertens put it to bed in the 53rd

W-B’s next league game against Mouscron over the weekend has been postponed because they will start their Belgian Cup campaign when they travel to third division Dender.   

Notes

Joe Vines will have to wait to make his Royal Antwerp debut as their game against Genk on Friday night was postponed.  Genk’s American Mark McKenzie also had the weekend off.

Having just joined Club Brugge, Owen Otasowie was not yet named to Club’s team sheet.  Didn’t matter though as the Belgian champions won anyway, beating Beerschot by a 3-2 scoreline.  The American will hope to make his debut on Sunday when they make the short trip to Gent.

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Michael Adubato

The old man of Yanks-Abroad, having been around since the very beginning in 2004, Known as the resident Belgian expert since that’s where he has lived for a couple of decades. Over the years he has interviewed Nats such as Kasey Keller, Brian McBride, Oguchi Onyewu, Jozy Altidore and Tim Weah, to name a few. When not working the day job, he can often be found in stadiums around Europe, watching games from the top flight to the lower leagues. To prove that he is not just a pretty face, Mike received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Maryland and a Masters from the University of Oklahoma. Boomer Sooner! On a non-soccer note, Adubato has just released a book of poetry from his travels, Missing the Exit, published by Broken Keys Publishing in Ottawa, Canada. So that must make him the YA poet laureate! You can grab your copy on Amazon.com, order online and pick it up and Barnes & Noble or get an e-copy at various outlets.

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