League leaders Union Saint-Gilloise faced Club Brugge on Sunday, with Union looking to extend their lead at the top of the table and the hosts got off to a good start with their top scorer, Mohamed Amoura getting on the scoresheet after 22 minutes. Club Brugge manager Ronny Deila tried to turn the game around 10 minutes into the second half by making a triple substitution and 6 minutes later his substitution worked wonders. Defender Maxim De Cuyper levelled the game for the visitors but only for Mohamed Amoura to get his second of the game only eight minutes later. Amoura was replaced after 82 minutes but is likely to wish he had stayed on as he would have had a chance for his hat-trick as Union were awarded a penalty in the 96th minute, only for striker Kevin Rodriguez to miss from the penalty spot. Union now have 31 points after 13 games and sit top of the Belgium Pro League by 4 points to Anderlecht.
Second placed, RSC Anderlecht visited fourth placed Cercle Brugge on Sunday, with both teams trying to keep the pressure on leaders Union Saint-Gilloise. Anderlecht got off to a rather shaky start, with three yellow cards awarded in the first 35 minutes, Zeno Debast made a challenge which saw him see yellow and was later checked by VAR for a potential red card, however the original decision was maintained. Anderlecht made the breakthrough after 37 minutes with a goal from Kasper Dolberg, the Dane then set up fellow countryman Anders Dreyer three minutes later to see the visitors go two up after 40 minutes. Dreyer then assisted Mario Stroeykens for the visitors third goal, effectively taking the game out of the game of Cercle Brugge and the game ended 3-0 to Anderlecht after six minutes of injury time.
Elsewhere in the Belgium Pro League, third placed Gent travelled to mid-table Sporting de Charleroi in the hope to maintain their distance to Anderlecht and Union. The visitors were dominant over Charleroi winning the game by three goals to one, with Tissoudali, De Sart and Orban all getting on the scoresheet. Marco Ilaimaharitra managed to get one back for the hosts but it was merely a consolation in the final minute of the game. This result sees Gent maintain their position in the table with 26 points, only one point from second placed Anderlecht.
Fifth placed KRC Genk took on seventh placed Royal Antwerp at the Bosuilstadion on Saturday evening, the hots would leapfrog Club Brugge if they were able to take all three points from the game. They made the perfect start through Vincent Janssen, who scored after just five minutes, their dominance led to further goals through Michel-Ange Balikwisha who was on the scoresheet twice before the end of the first-half. Genk got one back before the half-time whistle through Andi Zeqiri but despite all their best efforts to mount a comeback they could only manage one goal in the 99th, and final, minute of the game through Daniel Muñoz. The game ended 3-2 to the hosts and meant they moved up into sixth place only one behind Genk who still sit in fifth with 21 points.
Westerlo went into the weekend at the bottom of the table and travelled to Oud-Heverlee Leuven on Saturday. There was not much to comment on in the first half, only three yellow cards for the visitors, however Westerlo were able to make inroads in the second half, a penalty goal from Nicolas Madsen in the 64th minute and Serhiy Sydorchuk in the 69th minute meant that Westerlo were able to take all three points from the game and move off the bottom of the table.
All the other games played this weekend were 1-1 draws. Sint-Truidense VV played hosts to Eupen on Friday, Rune Paseshuyse scored an own-goal to put Sint-Truidense 1-0 up after 20 minutes but Miloš Pantović was able to salvage a point for the visitors in the final minutes of the game. The game between Standard Liege and Mechelen was similar in character, the hosts went 1-0 up after a goal from Hayao Kawabe but this was cancelled out one minute before the end of the game as midfielder Rob Schoofs ensured that the points were shared at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne. During the game between RWD Molenbeek and KV Kortrijk both the goals came in the first half, Sheyi Ojo scored first for Kortrijk after 16 minutes but eight minutes later Ilay Camara put the hosts level after an assist from ex-Arsenal under 21 Jeff Reine-Adelaide.
GBeNeFNÂ |Â Max Mumford
