Leko was wrong
Ivan Leko did not want to relive the “worst game of the season” of the first leg (5-0, November 10). Given the defections, including that of Bolingoli, it smelled like a tree for the Croatian coach, forced to tinker in defense. The reign of resourcefulness. O'Neill had to help out in the defensive axis. Doumbia had not started a match for eight months. Price played in the unusual position of defensive midfielder, with as much waste as elsewhere. Safe bet: Sutalo. A rock. Unsinkable.
“It's my fault. The plan didn't work in the first half, Leko humbly admitted. I tried different things in training and I know Aiden is a key player in our midfield, but sometimes as a coach you have a feeling. Sometimes it's the right one, sometimes it's not.”
He quickly alternated the touch-ups. Kuavita a little more over there. Bulat a little more over there. Ayensa a little further to the left, then in the center, behind Zeqiri. “After ten minutes, I was hoping it was already half-time because I felt it wasn't the right choice.”
A crazy stadium
At the break, Sclessin blew the whistle. And Leko changed his organization: Camara replaced Bulat, O'Neill returned to the position of “6” and Doumbia the defensive axis. “The medical staff told me that playing Ilay for 45 to 60 minutes was not risky, I preferred it to be at the end of the match. His rise put Standard back upright.
The thread of the match
There was life. Finally. Projections. A little magic and unpredictability. Downright opportunities, during a crazy last half hour. Open. A recovery from Sutalo saved practically on the line by Ito (63rd). A shot from Ayensa above (64th). A poorly adjusted Kuavita header (71st). A strike from Camara into the side net (76th).
In the meantime, Price's goal was canceled for a slight offside (66th). Sclessin continued to push, in a deafening atmosphere. “As much as we weren't good at the start of the match, we were present in the second half. We left nothing, we found verticality… When you see the support from the stadium, it means a lot. I'm very proud of what the players gave.”
They were not rewarded. They even ended up breaking down. Exhausted. Surdez concluded a mess (0-1, 84th).
Sharing would already have almost caused regrets. Let's not talk about defeat.
Standard came close to the golden operation, namely widening the gap compared to the playdowns, and getting very close to the top 6. It remains in the soft underbelly (24 pts) and will have a chance to conclude 2024 well, Thursday in Mechelen.
