Party in the Lotto Park: ten-man Anderlecht beats Union and takes the lead

It is only game three of the play-offs, but it was already necessary for both Anderlecht and Union. This morning they saw the competitor from Bruges approaching within two points. That there was a lot of pressure on the derby was also clear on the field. Both teams started the match with great intensity. Good football was not played, especially in the early stages of the match.

A goal was needed to break the game open. Fortunately we didn’t have to wait too long for that. It came at the first chance. Sardella laid the ball, Moris parried but could not prevent Dolberg from putting in his fourteenth of the season on the rebound. The Danish goalgetter played a hell of a game. He took his team in tow. While Burgess and Sykes had Dolberg in their corner earlier this season, that was not the case today. The Dane worked hard, kept balls, provoked a mistake at the right moments…

Injury Hazard

Union had to come. It wouldn’t be… Starting the play offs with zero out of nine. And this after they had not lost 23 games in a row before this mini competition. Come, so did Blessin’s men. Slowly but surely they took control of the match. Although they were especially dangerous on the well-developed stationary phases of Puertas. First, after Debast was happy with a yellow card when he stopped the ball with his hands and thus prevented Amoura from going at Schmeichel from an oblique angle, Sardella had to head away in extremis. On the corner that followed, Schmeichel had to make a sublime reflex. He tapped Nilsson’s header against the crossbar.

On the half hour: bad news for Anderlecht. Thorgan Hazard’s foot got stuck on a defensive move and he went down. Immediately the hands went to the head. The Purple and White hopes that the injury will not be too bad. Amuzu was his replacement. And he immediately saw how Dolberg almost doubled the lead. Vertonghen headed a corner through Dolberg, outwitting Moris, but Sykes cleared the line. On the same corner, the whole of Anderlecht also appealed for a penalty. Just before it was kicked, Burgess had knocked Leoni to the ground with a judo grip. And Vertonghen also had to deal with an elbow from Nilsson. Nothing to do with it, according to the VAR.

READ ALSO. VIDEO. Will Anderlecht lose its stronghold in the full title battle? Thorgan Hazard has to leave the field with a painful grimace and appears on crutches in the second half

Red Debast and penalty

Union also continued to look for the equalizer in the second half. RSCA folded back, but occasionally looked dangerous. Although that did not lead to any concrete target danger. The neighbors of Sint-Gillis took care of that. Amoura, who was again not well in the match, guided Puertas through the purple defense. Once again Schmeichel stood firm. Meanwhile, the match became increasingly bitter. Rits asserted himself and Vertonghen and Nilsson also regularly fought a fight.

There seemed to be no problem for Anderlecht. Until the VAR called Lambrechts to the screen. Debast had possession of the ball in his own box and apparently used his elbows too emphatically to shield the ball. A profusely bleeding Nilsson fell. After watching the images, Lambrechts was relentless: the ball hit the spot and Debast had to shower with a second yellow cardboard. Puertas had no hesitation and simply scored the penalty.

Supersub Have fun

With one man more and led by Puertas, Union emphatically looked for victory. The same Puertas shot from far away but just wide. Yet it was Anderlecht that took the lead again. Sardella judged a long ball better than Terho, who had just come on, and crossed nicely. Amuzu made the Park dance and kicked past Moris into the goal.

The signal for Blessin to throw his last trump cards on the table with Ayensa and Rodriguez, who has just returned to fitness. A tired Nilsson and weak Amoura were allowed to rest. It didn’t work. The purple and white defense held up well against the yellow attacking waves.

Anderlecht beat its black beast Union for the first time in nine matches. The Purple & White even takes the lead in the competition for the first time since 2018. Union has completely missed its start in the play-offs with three defeats in a row and sees Club Brugge closing in on two points.