Key moment: Just like in the first half, OH Leuven came out of the changing rooms fiery, but after the break without a sharp opponent. In five minutes, the home team is suddenly double behind.
Man of the match: Mario Gonzalez was not always playing football well against Westerlo, but does what he is paid for. Catching up well on Mendyl’s cross, following Bolat’s fired shot well, testing his goal well from the spot.
Remarkable: Leuven does not leave the Kempen battered. Hamza Mendyl had only just served his suspension for a red card against Kortrijk, but will have to undergo another penalty. This time he went into Jordanov way too hard on a loose ball.
In a nice start of the match, OH Leuven pulled forward after just two minutes via a swinging Tamari. He deposited the ball via Patris at Hamza Mendyl. The Moroccan was given time and space, but shot over the crossbar.
The opening quarter was intense, with a lot of fighting and high pressure from both teams. Maxime de Cuyper was able to aim from a distance after ten minutes, but still shot too centrally.
Both teams had used up all their ideas and fell back to basic positions. Westerlo with the ball, OH Leuven behind and hoping for good transitions. They barely came. The home team wanted a penalty for hands, twice, but Smet and VAR judged it to be ‘too light’.
Ten minutes before the break, the game warmed up for a while. After a (stupid) yellow card for Tamari, the home team seemed to have found a spark. Foster slid a ball towards Cojocaru, who took it all in all with ease. On the other side, Thorsteinsson put Bolat to work.
Westerlo started the second half fifteen minutes late, according to his professors. OH Leuven immediately showed itself fresh with several nice attacks.
The pressure continued, and Mendyl found free space on the left. A sharp cross found the ‘corridor of uncertainty’, with striker Gonzalez’s foot at the end.
Leuven was looking forward to it and was able to double five minutes later. Kiyine, filling in for Keita, fired a shot that Bolat found hard to get away with. Gonzalez was well followed and was brought down by the keeper. From the dot he had no doubts.
A long catch-up race was the message for Westerlo, which was closer to 0-3 for ten minutes than to a connection goal. In the end it was the excellent Kemphaan Jordanov who threw a cross to Foster from the right. Nene Dorgeles was nearby and left Cojocaru without a chance.
Mendyl made the end even more exciting with his second red card in three matches, so that the last ten minutes played out entirely in the Leuven half.
Westerlo, however, could not cause more than a few faltering hearts and deep sighs with a threat and are left pointless. Leuven climbs to fourth place and is within 1 point of the Kemphanen.
Siebe Writers (OHL): “I’m still limping a bit, but that’s normal. Playing football again for eighty minutes after a long rehabilitation was going into the red. The first half we were too restless as a team to find the spaces, although they were there. After the break we found those spaces and we showed that Leuven can play football.”
Dorgeles Nene (Westerlo): “It’s a pity to lose like this, because we actually played a very good game. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, that they were going to come out of the dressing rooms strong. It’s a pity that we didn’t do that in the second half We were ready for it. The play-offs remain our goal this season.”
Marc Brys (OH Leuven): “We play a terribly bad first half, despite the big chance after two minutes. The second half was much better, we started very strongly with good combinations, two goals, three four big chances. At the back we have been reasonably stable, we have We gave away two chances in the second half, but corner kicks are still dangerous for us, we don’t have that much form in the team.
Like any good family man, we are still proactively looking in the transfer market. There are definitely a few more avenues.”
Jonas De Roeck (Westerlo): “I can hardly blame my boys. Today we were punished for a number of mistakes. We knew that OH Leuven was going to leave the ball to us and there was only one team that wanted to play football today. We also made it difficult for them, only the last pass was unfortunate.
Once they appear, they can play their favorite game. I found it very irritating, how the game was slowed down by things that are not football matters, I would never ask my players to play like that. Everyone’s choice.”
