Forced to win in Kortrijk on Sunday during the 5th and penultimate day of the Jupiler Pro League playdowns to maintain a chance of remaining, the Pandas, reduced to ten for more than an hour, lost 1-0 to at the Kerels.
In the standings, with only one match remaining, Eupen is last with 25 points and can no longer hope to hold on to 2nd place, synonymous with a play-off. A 2nd place which Kortrijk seized thanks to its victory over Eupen, combined with the defeat of RWDM against Charleroi on Saturday (1-3).
Kortrijk has 31 points, one more than Molenbeek, which no longer has its fate in its hands.
Eupen found itself reduced to ten following Boris Lambert’s red card (29th). The Eupenois captain was sent to the locker room for a dangerous tackle on Abdoulaye Sissako.
In numerical superiority, Kortrijk put the pressure on at the end of the first period and found the opening during the ten minutes of added time. On a free kick from Abdelkahar Kadri, Joao Silva placed a header at the 2nd post which deceived Gabriel Slonina (45th + 10), giving a big blow to the morale of the Pandas before the break.
Returning from the locker room, the German speakers were unable to worry the Kerels, except at the very end of the match. Regan Charles-Cook fell in the rectangle without obtaining a penalty (85th) and Victor Palsson shot wide (90th+2), while Slonina prevented Massimo Bruno from making it 2-0 (90th+4).
Eupen returns to D1B after eight seasons spent in the elite. The second descendant will be known next week at the end of the last day. The RWDM will go to Eupen and Kortrijk will go to Charleroi, already assured of its maintenance.
