Genk is the only team with something to play for, while the others are just seeing out their season with one more game to go after the weekends action.
Genk 1 – 0 Antwerp
After four consecutive losses in the play-offs, Mark McKenzie and Genk finally remembered how to win as they scraped by the defending champions, Royal Antwerp in a game that produced just one goal. The American went the distance in this penultimate game in the Championship Play-off.
In this evenly matched contest where Antwerp just edged possession with 51% of the ball, the difference was shots on goal where the Smurfs edged their opponents with six to five. The one that went in came in the 28th minute from the left foot of Andi Zeqiri. Konstantinos Karetsas provided the assist.
The victory and Cercle Brugge’s loss sees these teams change places in the standings with Genk moving up to the fourth spot and a European place. With just one game remaining, the Smurfs will have to beat title chasers Union St Gilloise on the last day of the season.
The final game day will decide who will grab the Belgian Pro League title with Club Brugge on 49 points and both USG and Anderlecht on 46. A draw for club against Cercle would be enough to reclaim the title.
Westerlo 0 – 2 Mechelen
Westerlo’s play-off woes continued when they welcomed Mechelen to Het Kuipje on Saturday afternoon. Both Bryan Reynolds and Griffin Yow were in the starting line-up. The American defender felt that he should have won a penalty but was denied by the referee.
Having lost a one-on-one with keeper, Sinan Bolat minutes before, this time Mechelen midfielder Bilal Bafdili got the best of the Turkish keeper and put the ball into the back of the net. The goal came in the 25th minute.
A few minutes after the restart, Mechelen defender Daam Foulon slid into Reynolds and Het Kuipje felt that the American had won a penalty but the referee shook his head saying no penalty. He was however called over to the screen by VAR and after minutes looking at the very hard tackle, the referee was the only one in the stadium who didn’t deem it a pen.
“When I got into the box,” Reynolds said post game, “the opponent hit my leg. You can’t think what the referee thinks, but this had to be a penalty.”
Instead of an equalizer, Mechelen added insult to injury by netting a second time as the game clock struck 90 minutes. Having missed a few months through injury, Rafik Belghali came off the bench to net his second of the season.
Westerlo and the Yanks will finish their season on Saturday night when they travel to Leuven.
Standard Liege 1 – 4 Gent
Marlon Fossey was in the starting line-up for Les Rouches when they welcomed the run-away play-off group leaders to the Sclessin and were dismantled by their guests on Saturday night. The Buffaloes dominated with 57% of the possession and eight to four shots on target with four hitting the back of the net.
The goals started flowing after just 10 minutes when Matias Fernandez-Pardo scored his sixth of the season. Standard soon got one back, seven minutes later from Kelvin Yeboah. And this is how the first half ended.
Half way through the second half Fernandez-Pardo struck again. Then former Huddersfield Town striker, Laurent Depoitre got into the action knocking the ball into the goal in the 80th and 87th minute to claim all the points.
Standard will see the season out over the weekend when they travel to Mechelen.
Notes
Kahveh Zahiroleslam didn’t get off the bench over the weekend when Sint-Truiden hosted OH Leuven at the Stayen. The Canaries scored first but let their guests equalize in the second half. The game ended 1-1. STVV will finish the season on Saturday night against Gent.
