FLASHBACK It doesn't happen often: two Belgian teams facing each other in European competition, but in 1988, it did. Anderlecht and KV Mechelen clashed in the European Cup Winners' Cup. The first leg in Mechelen ended 1-0 in favor of the home team.
Keshi received a red card after just two minutes, forcing Anderlecht to play with ten men.
Goalkeeper Filip De Wilde seemed to guide the Brussels side towards a draw, but Wilmots scored in the final moments: 1-0. However, on November 9, 1988, Anderlecht won the return leg 0-2, even though the purple and white started the match full of confidence. After fifteen minutes, Koeman made it 0-1, and Ohana sealed the deal with a second goal: 0-2. Anderlecht was out of European competitions...
Besides being eliminated from Europe, Anderlecht was also outperformed by Mechelen in the domestic league. Purple and white did win in Mechelen and drew at the Astridpark, but Mechelen still became champions. Anderlecht had to settle for second place in the championship. In the cup, the Brussels side had more success. At home, they won 2-0 thanks to goals from Edi Krnčević and Milan Janković. In Mechelen, Anderlecht was on the verge of elimination when the home team had built a 3-0 lead. Marc Emmers, however, lent a hand by scoring an own goal late on. Anderlecht advanced and eventually went on to win the cup.
KV Mechelen's success against Anderlecht would later signal to Constant Vanden Stock that it was time to start buying players from Mechelen. From the strong team Mechelen had at the time, players were gradually bought out: Graeme Rutjes, Bruno Versavel, and Marc Emmers quickly switched sides. John Bosman first moved briefly to PSV but then also came to Anderlecht. That team also featured a young Mike Verstraeten, who would eventually join Anderlecht ten years later.
Source: © Internal source
In a flashback article, we look back in time at an important event for the club or a former player.
