GAMES Anderlecht came off the short end in a tense, hard-fought clash with KV Mechelen, losing 1-0 to a goal late in the game. Both teams had earlier opportunities to open the scoring, but in the end the home side enjoyed the luck of the day. Anderlecht struck the woodwork twice after the break and finished with ten men following a second yellow for Bertaccini. Saliba also picked up a booking and is now suspended for two matches.
The first half was dominated by physicality and duels. Mechelen started strongly and pressed Anderlecht back, creating a big chance for Zekri, who struck centrally and allowed Coosemans to make the save. Anderlecht began to steady after the quarter-hour but struggled to play forward. The visitors produced a few useful crosses but never found a teammate in the right position. It wasn't until stoppage time that Anderlecht fashioned a clear chance: Hazard nodded the ball down and Miras kept it out with his knee, leaving doubt over whether the ball had crossed the line.
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Continue reading After the interval Mechelen again had the first big opening: Van Brederode nodded a cross wide while on the run. Anderlecht hit back immediately when Degreef was played in and struck the post. Five minutes later Saliba saw a shot cannon off the crossbar. The Canadian would pick up his tenth yellow of the season ten minutes later, condemning him to a two-match suspension and ruling him out of at least the first Playoffs fixture.
Mechelen pressed on after a flurry of bookings for the purple-and-white — Bertaccini, Ilic and Stroeykens were also carded in quick succession — and Boersma crashed a shot against the post. Around the 80th minute Miras again denied Anderlecht by parrying a deflected effort. Although Anderlecht were the better side after the break, Mechelen remained dangerous. Van Rafelghem headed weakly and Anderlecht lucked out. In the closing stages Bertaccini was sent off for a second bookable offence. It got worse for the visitors. Van Brederode fired Mechelen into the lead with a last-gasp shot on the run. Anderlecht threw everything forward in the final minutes, but nobody could connect with a Sardella cross.
The defeat drops Anderlecht to fifth place and means they are not yet mathematically certain of a spot in the Champions' Playoffs. They still hold an advantage: if Genk win at La Louvière next weekend and Anderlecht lose to Cercle Brugge, both clubs would finish with the same number of wins (12), leaving goal difference to decide. Anderlecht's goal difference is currently +5 versus Genk's -1, so Anderlecht would have to lose heavily while Genk win by a large margin. Either way, Anderlecht will be without Saliba and Bertaccini for upcoming matches.
