GAMES How can you win a soccer match by making a minimum of effort? You just play against Anderlecht, a team that does not create any danger and sooner or later makes a mistake from which the opponent can take advantage. Tonight it was the turn of Union who didn't have to play well for a long time to put their neighbors aside. Union won 2-0, two goals scored after losing the ball to the Purple White.
The first half offered little spectacle. Union started well, but not scorching like against Antwerp. Union's pressure increased, but there were no big chances. Anderlecht was dramatic in ball possession, although that improved after thirty minutes. Anderlecht made sure Union couldn't threaten anymore, but Anderlecht couldn't create any real danger themselves either.
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Continue reading A logical 0-0 half-time score seemed a fact until Anderlecht once again shot itself in its own foot. Hazard allowed himself to be trounced by MacAllister. Maamar didn't intervene so the cross reached El Hadj who unknowingly played to David. The Canadian popped straight into goal. A goal that was immediately reminiscent of the 1-0 in Bruges.
Hasi brought on Leoni and Augustinsson after halftime and Angulo and Maamar swapped flanks. Anderlecht tried to come to a chance through Angulo, but unfortunately it remained only trying. In minute 64 Anderlecht got away well after offside by David after sloppy kicking from Coosemans.
Union had also shown nothing after halftime when Ait El Hadj scored the 2-0 out of nowhere in minute 82. Ball loss (again) caused a rare Union combination that eventually, with some luck, reached the infiltrating El Hadj who finished neatly.
Thus Anderlecht suffered a third hopeless defeat in a row, not because the opponents were so much stronger in these matches, but simply because Anderlecht itself was tremendously weak. It hardly got a chance together in the first three games and easily swallowed goals after ball loss or the slightest inattention at the back. So while Anderlecht didn't get a single chance tonight, the purple and white aren't having any luck either. Both of Union's goals, for example, came about thanks to some luck. David received an inadvertent pass from El Hadj after a missed check, and on the 0-2, while lying down, a one-two happened to come about from which the cross reached El Hadj. To be clear, this is no excuse to forgive the weak performance.
For Anderlecht, important matches now break against Antwerp and Gent to try to secure fourth place.
Score: 2-0 Goal(s): 1-0 David 44', 2-0 Ait El Hadj 82'
Union:Moris, MacAllister, Burgess, Leysen, Khalaili (Sykes 88'), Niang (Castro-Montez 46), Van de Perre (Giger 88'), Sadiki, Ait El Hadj, Ivanovic (Fuseini 63'), David (Vanhoutte 73') Anderlecht: Coosemans, Adryelson (Augustinsson 46'), Hey, Simic (De Cat 66'), Dendoncker, Maamar, Verschaeren (Vazquez 73'), Angulo, Hazard (Leoni 46'), Huerta, Dolberg (Ashimeru 85')
