Bryan Reynolds and Westerlo escape an embarrassment as they fight to gain a point against lowly Beerschot in Pro League action. Meanwhile Marlon Fossey and Standard suffer a road defeat.
Westerlo 2 – 2 Beerschot
On Friday night, Westerlo had to come from behind twice in order to claim a point against league newcomers, Beerschot. Bryan Reynolds went the distance for the Gamecocks in front of their home fans but Griffin Yow has still not recovered adequately from his injury to get back into the team.
Beerschot, who have lost eight in a row before their trip to Het Kuipje, took the lead after 24 minutes when Tom Reyners blasted the ball past the Westerlo keeper from just outside the box to score the team’s seventh goal of the season after 10 games. Reynolds got off a shot later in the half but it was deflected out of harm’s way. It took the hosts until the 61st minute to get back on level terms. The goal came from a corner that Luka Vuskovic headed home from the center of the box. Dogucan Haspolat sent in the cross after the corner.
Reynolds had another stab at scoring but his shot from just outside the box cleared the cross bar with room to spare.
With less than 10 minutes on the clock, Marco Weymans picked out Ryan Sanusi and the Belgian midfielder struck from inside the box seconds after his first attempt from outside the box was blocked.
With five minutes left on the clock it was Vuskovic again who rescued his side when Matija Frigan picked him out, making it an all-Croatian goal. It was also the 17 year old defender’s fourth of the season.
After the international break, Westerlo will host Club Brugge on October 19th. Club have not been playing like the champions that they are, currently sitting in fifth place while KV are on the same 15 points but in the sixth spot on goal difference.
Anderlecht 3 – 0 Standard Liege
The Sunday afternoon trip to Brussels didn’t work out very well for les Rouches, as they ended up on the wrong side of a three-nil defeat at Lotto Park. Marlon Fossey went the distance for the visitors.
Jan-Carlo Šimić scored his first goal for Anderlecht since coming over from AC Milano in the summer. The 19-year-old Serbian got his head to Yari Verschaeren’s cross into the middle of the box before 10 minutes had been played.
The half hour mark saw Danish striker Kasper Dolberg shoot from outside the box to score his second of the campaign. Mario Stroeykens provided the assist. The 27-year-old scored 15 times last season, so the team is expecting more goals from the former OGC Nice front man.
With the game already out of reach for the Standard gang, Anders Dreyer,who came off the bench in the second half scored in the 92nd minute to end any hopes of a late comeback.
Fossey will head off to meet up with the national team for a couple of friendlies, before returning to take on Charleroi in the Walloon derby.
Sint-Truiden 1 – 1 Gent
In a game that featured seven Japanese players, the Canaries had to come from behind to secure a point in front of their home fans on Sunday evening. Kahveh Zahiroleslam started and played 81 minutes. The only Japanese player not to make it onto the field was Illinois-born Daniel Schmidt.
Omri Gandelman netted first for the Buffaloes, his fourth of the season, with a close range header in the 24th minute. A half dozen minutes later Zahiroleslam got a shot off inside the box but his effort was wide of the target. In the 35th minute he had another shout, this time a header but like before, it was well wide. An early second half attempt however was on the mark but the keeper was able to grab it before it crossed the line.
The equalizer came in the 68th minute from Adriano Bertaccini, his fourth of the season.
The point leaves STVV in 13rd place going into the break. When they return however the Smurfs of Genk will be waiting for them.
Notes
Keyden Pierre, who joined Genk earlier last month, was in the starting line-up for the Genk Reserves when they host the Anderlecht Futures and Devon De Corte on Sunday afternoon. Pierre went the distance while De Corte was subbed off in the 81st minute.
The Challenger League, Belgium’s second division, will also take the international break but when they come back the Futures will host Molenbeek, while the Smurfs travel to Deinze.
