GAMES Anderlecht will not be playing in another cup final this season. In the duel of the purple-and-white sides, Anderlecht lost 2-1 at Beerschot tonight. Ali Maamar's foolish red card around the hour mark severely damaged Anderlecht's chances, with the visitors already 1-0 behind at that point. Adriano Bertaccini's late consolation goal came too late.
Beerschot's supporters set the tone before kick-off in a lively Olympic Stadium, and their energy proved infectious: the home side immediately showed it was determined to fight tooth and nail for a place in the next round. Anderlecht tried to create depth through combination play and the flanks, but aside from a shot from Winkler against the post, it produced little real danger. A few crosses were cleared before they could become threatening.
Continue reading below the article
Continue reading Halfway through the first half, Aasgaard was unlucky to have a deflected ball strike his leg after a corner. The loose ball fell perfectly for Haj Mohemed, who hammered home from close range to put the hosts ahead: 1-0. Bentayeb came close to equalising shortly after, but goalkeeper Popp produced an excellent reflex save. Beerschot went into the break with the lead. After the restart, Anderlecht still could not find a way to get close to the opposition goal. The home side defended with everything they had, to Maamar's frustration. After being awarded a free kick, he shoved “culprit” Haj Mohamed away with both hands. It was a deserved second yellow card, and he was sent off.
Coach Bruno tried to turn the tide with a series of substitutions, but instead it was Beerschot who scored again. On the counterattack, Haj Mohamed capitalised when Heekeren failed to hold the ball, making it 2-0. Game over. In the 86th minute, Bertaccini briefly revived hope for the visitors. Following a quick transition initiated by goalkeeper Heekeren, he made a strong run and slotted the ball past goalkeeper Popp. Anderlecht then launched a frantic search for an equaliser, but they got no closer than an Aasgaard effort that whistled a metre wide.
