The three teams with four Yanks all failed to pick up victories over the weekend but did manage to at least pick up a point in the Pro League.
Charleroi 1 – 1 Standard Liege
Les Rouches travelled to Charleroi on Saturday night to contest the Walloon Derby at the Stade du Pays de Charleroi and after a half time lead, let the game slip away in extra time to be denied all the points. Marlon Fossey started the game on the right wing in a five-man midfield and put in a good performance, though picking up a yellow card in the 93rd minute.
In a game where the hosts overall dominated possession, it was the visitors who struck first. Andi Zeqiri found himself in front of an open goal but decided to pass the ball over to Leandre Kuavita who was camped out on the penalty spot. The Belgian midfielder pulled the trigger and lit up the scoreboard with his left footed shot that ended up in the top corner of the net.
The goal seemed to be enough for the victory because when the fourth official showed that only four additional minutes would be played, the lead was still intact. However, it was that fourth minute when the ball ended up in the Standard goal. Nikola Stulic hit the post with a header but then Oday Dabbagh got his foot on the ball and smashed it home from just outside the six-yard box.
The point leaves Fossey’s team in ninth place after the point with a visit from OH Leuven this weekend. Before that however, they will head up the road to Genk for a midweek Belgian Cup clash.
Westerlo 2 – 2 Gent
Both Griffin Yow and Bryan Reynolds were in the starting lineup for Westerlo when they hosted the Buffaloes of Gent on Sunday night at Het Kuipje. Yow played for just over an hour while Reynolds played the duration.
The hosts went ahead early in the game but the East Flanders side fought back and managed to square things up just before the intermission. On a fast break, Allahyar Sayyadmanesh spotted Matija Frigan’s run into the Gent area and picked him out with a pass that allowed the Croatian striker to smash it into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season. They could have doubled their lead on the half hour mark but when Reynolds picked out Sayyadmanesh in the middle of the box, the Iranian blasted it high and wide of the target.
The next goal however came when Omri Gandelman drew a foul in the Westerlo boxand Max Dean converted the PK in the 42nd minute.
After the intermission, the visitors were at it again. This time it was Momodou Sonko converting from six yards out, scoring his first ever Gent goal. But with just four minutes left on the clock, Sayyadmanesh redeemed himself after his first half poor effort by heading into the back of the Buffaloes’ net from very close range.
A point means that Westerlo sits in eighth place, even on points with Standard but with a superior goal difference. They’ll try to move up the standings over the weekend when travel to newcomers Dender but they too have a midweek Cup fixture to contend first. They’ll be heading to Anderlecht.
Notes
Kavhev Zahiroleslam missed the Limburg Derby on Sunday afternoon after picking up an injury against Club Brugge last week. The game ended 2-2. Next up is a Cup clash against Cercle Brugge.
Devon De Corte spent an hour warming up on the sidelines but never got onto the field when the Anderlecht Futures hosted Lierse and came away 2-0 winners. They’ll travel to Brugge on Friday night to take on Club’s Reserves.
Keyden Pierre went the distance for the Genk Reserves when they hosted Zulte Waregem but were unable to take anything away from the game, losing by a 2-3 score line. Next up will be a trip to Wallonia to take on RAAL La Louviere.
