A septuplet is not often for a club. Even less for a player. And yet in Anderlecht, who won their 7th title in a row by beating Genk this Saturday at Lotto Park, best friends Laura Deloose and Laura De Neve will be able to show off a 7th crown at home once they return home after having celebrated that.
”I’ve been here for 15 yearssmiles Laura De Neve, the emblematic captain of Sporting who has never played anywhere else. Being able to celebrate with Laura, my best friend, is just happiness. Of the seven that I have with the RSCA, this one is not necessarily the most beautiful, because it is the first, but perhaps the most difficult. Because with OHL and Standard, what a close fight until the end! For the girls for whom this is the first title, I’m really happy for her.”
Happiness was contagious within Anderlecht. Double scorer at the start of the match, Sarah Wijnants once again showed that she was one of the best players of the season.
“A title is the most beautiful emotion in the world,” she confided once the medal was around her neck. We had a difficult season, especially on an individual level. So I am very happy to celebrate this title. We fought until the end, we knew that everything was possible in these playoffs, we gave everything. In the end, we haven’t lost since November 17. The title is the reward for the work of the entire team. For my part, this is my 9th personal title (Editor’s note: she was also champion with Standard Femina) but the pleasure is always the same. A 10th next season? I hope. But for now, I especially want to celebrate this one.”
If Wijnants stood out with a double for the title match, she is not the only one to have stood out all season. Amélie Delabre brought a real plus to the Anderlecht attack and the Frenchwoman was also rewarded since she was nominated for the Pro League Awards in the category of best player.
”A title is always special, even more so when it’s your first like me, explains the former French international hopeful. I came to Anderlecht to experience this, we worked all season to experience this moment, it’s nothing but happiness. We are going to celebrate it because we had to fight to get it. At the start of the season, it took us a little time to find our rhythm but the locker room was incredible. This title is about solidarity. There is not one player who brought us the title because if we removed someone from this team, we would still have won it. There are 24 incredible players in this group.”
In the group that is once again Belgian champion, the two Lauras (Deloose and De Neve) are not the only ones to accumulate titles with the RSCA Women. Returning to Sporting this season after a stint in Bruges, Sakina Ouzraoui Diki savored this moment at Lotto Park.
“For my return, I am happy to have won this title in Brussels and to have been able to celebrate it at Lotto Park,” smiles the Moroccan international. It’s been a pretty difficult season. It’s the first time I won a title with Anderlecht in the last match. It shows that our great group has not given up. A title is always a great moment of emotion. It’s my fifth and I’m very happy to be part of this team which is one of the best in Belgium. You can never get bored of winning titles because you never know if it’s the last one.”
While usually, they made the difference at the end of the match, the Brussels women decided this Saturday to take direct control and leave no hope, from a distance, with Standard Femina.
“We had a lot of confidence before this match,” breathes Dave Mattheus, the coach. But you always have to play a match and you never know what can happen. However, we prepared well for this meeting and we were in a good flow. The start and the 3-0 put us on a good path. There was nonchalance and we conceded, we reacted and they scored again but hey, the most important thing: we are champions again!”
