There were wins all around for the American contingent in Belgium’s Pro League as Mark McKenzie and Genk continued their march toward the league title.
Genk 4 – 0 Seraing
Mark McKenzie and Genk added another three points to their tally to stay at the top of the league after their 4-0 shut-out over cellar dwellers Seraing. Paul Onuachu scored a brace, while Mike Tresor and Joseph Paintsil added the others.
The big Nigerian got things underway after just seven minutes from the penalty spot after Bryan Heynen was brought down in the box. Seven minutes later Bilal El Khannouss passed the ball to Tresor and the Belgian skipped past a pair of so-called defenders and slotted the ball past Guillaume Dietsch between the sticks.
Fifteen minutes after the restart, a third Genk goal was scored, Onuachu’s second, from a close range header. It was Tresor who sent the cross in from wide left. Unfortunately picked up an injury in the process and was subbed off a couple of minutes later. The extent of the injury has not yet been reported.
Paintsil scored four minutes later, his eighth of the season to put the game out of reach.
Genk maintains their six point lead over chasers Union and will look for more next time up against Eupen.
Standard Liege 3 – 1 Eupen
Marlon Fossey has worked his way into the Standard starting line-up, getting the nod on Friday night for their home game against Eupen. The LA native put in an 80 minute shift in the les Rouches.
The hosts had to come from behind to claim all the points after Regan Charles-Cook put the visitors ahead after 11 minutes. William Balikwisha got his team back in the game 20 minutes later after Eupen miserably failed to clear the ball out of their box. Four minutes later Philip Zinckernagel was celebrating his go-ahead goal. In the second half the game was put to bed in the minute when Croatian Stipe Perica scored just before the hour mark.
Les Rouches have been slowly climbing up the standings and now find themselves in sixth place, just three points out of the top play-off group. Fossey will most likely be in the line-up again when they travel to take on Cercle Brugge.
Westerlo 2 – 0 Mechelen
Bryan Reynolds has settled back into his right back position as he came back from injury last weekend, helping his team shut out Jorge Hernandez’s KV Mechelen. His teammate Griffin Yow didn’t make the bench. The midfielder didn’t make the team sheet. The goals came from 21-year-old Belgian Kyan Vaesen who scored his second and third goals of the season due to very limited playing time. He has however staked his claim for the starting leading the attack after top goal-getter Lyle Foster was sold to Burnley.
The first goal, which was scored after 22 minutes came from the right flank when Lukas Van Eenoo sent the ball into the box and Vaesen redirected it from six yards out. The second came in the second half, this time off a corner kick that the Belgian kicked in from just a few yards out this time.
The win puts Westerlo in seventh place. Next up will be a trip to take on Eupen, who are in the fifteenth spot.
Notes
Evan Rotundo started on the bench for the Genk II side when they travelled to Antwerp to take on Beerschot on Friday night at the Olympic Stadium on Friday night. After taking a 2-1 lead in the first half, Beerschot fought back and took all the points with a 96th minute game winner. The game ended 3-2 and Rotundo never left the bench.
Anderlecht and a Sam Vines-less Royal Antwerp played to a scoreless tie over the weekend. The American defender is still recovering from his injury. Next up for Antwerp is another trip to Brussels but this time they’ll go up against Uniion St Gilloise.
