GAMES Anderlecht won with the smallest difference from Aris Thessaloniki thanks to an early goal by Vazquez. Anderlecht played a solid match and never really got into trouble.
At Anderlecht, Llansana started his first game for Anderlecht. After five minutes, purple-white got a first chance. Verschaeren served Vazquez the right way, but the Argentine shot just wide. After ten minutes, Coosemans paid good attention by defusing a free kick from long distance. The goalkeeper saved a low shot five minutes later after losing the ball too easily.
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Continue reading After twenty minutes, Anderlecht opened the scoring through Vazquez. It was Verschaeren again who provided the opening. Vazquez slid the ball neatly into the far corner in goal. Five minutes later, Vazquez had another good chance. He first sent Hazard deep from his own half and eventually got the ball back, but the shot became nothing more than a training ball for the goalkeeper.
After a mistake by Llansana, the Greeks got another free kick. Anderlecht got away well, as the ball hit the post. A solid first half with Verschaeren and Vazquez as the most outstanding players. The Greeks could only threaten because of sloppiness on the part of the pair.
After halftime, Kana, Dolberg and Kanaté filled in for Simic, Vazquez and Hazard.
Not long after halftime, Dolberg served Stroeykens who could go alone on goal, but the shot followed too quickly and flew over. Thessaloniki threatened through a hard shot that went over goal after Maamar lost the ball. On the hour, Kanaté almost reached a pawn centrally in front of goal. Not much later, he tried it himself. Ball loss by the Greeks should have led to the 2-0, but Dolberg kicked not convincingly enough and the goalkeeper was still able to save.
In the closing stages, the Greeks were able to head twice, but each time the header was less dangerous than the chance.
