Week two of the Pro League saw both Yank teams pick up points as Westerlo took three and Standard Liege dropped two late on against Dender.
Westerlo 3 – 1 Zulte-Waregem
Having stayed on the bench in the season opener last weekend against Anderlecht, Griffin Yow seized his starting opportunity and put the ball into the back of the Z-W net in the first minute. Both he and Bryan Reynolds were in the starting line-up for the Gamecocks as they sought redemption after last weekends humiliating 5-2 defeat in Brussels.
Waregem’s defense took possession of the ball immediately after the start but the young American stole the ball, looked goal-ward and shot from distance. The keeper had a chance at a save but the ball went in anyway.
And just ten minutes later the hosts were celebrating for the second time after Josimar Alcocer decided to pull the trigger from well outside the box and watched his effort sail just inside the far corner of the net.
After going up two, Westerlo were happy to let their visitors have possession but try as they might, they found it pretty tough to get into the final third and pose any threats to Reynolds’ defence and Andreas Jungdal’s goal. That was until the game clock struck a half hour and Jeppe Erenbjerg’s deflected shot wrong-footed Jungdal and all he could do was watch the ball hit the back of his net.
On the hour mark the Westerlo coach made a pair of substitutions and one of them was Adedire Mebude on for Yow. The Olympian from Virginia put in a very good hour and donated a goal to the victory.
The visitor’s fared much better with possession in the second half and forced the Gamecocks’ keeper into a few saves but when the ball had to be picked out of the net one last time, it was his counterpart at the other end of the field doing the picking after Isa Sakamoto danced around a couple of defenders and fired it home. This pretty much deflated the sails of the league’s newcomers.
After the game Yow told the press that “before the match started we already had a positive feeling in the dressing room, which explains the quick goals. We had to put last week’s game behind us and focus on today.”
With three points out of six, they’ll go for six out of nine when KV Mechelen visits Het Kuipje.
Standard Liege 1 – 1 Dender
After last weekend’s victory over new boys La Louviere, les Rouches returned to their form of last season and ended the game having to share the points after failing to hold onto the lead late into the game.
Marlon Fossey had captain duties to perform pre-game as Liege native and NBA champion, Ajay Mitchell was presented with a Standard shirt and the American received an Oklahoma Thunder in return on the field. In case you didn’t know, Mitchell’s American father played professional basketball in Belgium, where Ajay was born.
And that’s pretty much as good as it got for the home team and their captain. Having not recorded a victory at home since January, which was against Dender, they were feeling optimistic, especially when Eckert Ayensa slotted in his first of the season.
Standard kept the momentum for most of the second half; that was until an injury to a Dender player that was long enough to take the wind out of the red sails. Then in the 84th minute, the inevitable happened. Roman Kvet found the ball at his feet and the Czech midfielder fired goalward without much conviction; however, a defensive deflection wrong-footed Matthieu Epolo and the young keeper had to pick the ball out of the back of his net.
With two points dropped and a yellow card for Fossey, they’ll try again next weekend when Genk makes the short trip to the Sclessin.