Sporting Anderlecht gave the change for part of the first half, but then cracked, too weakened against an already superior Bruges. The Mauves cannot hope for anything better as it stands.
Evil tongues would say that it is fortunate for Anderlecht that the transfer of César Huerta was finalized before this Sunday’s topper. Because the Mexican, presented to the public at Lotto Park today but not yet ready to play, will have witnessed a sad spectacle.
Not so much because of the level of Anderlecht, which we have already seen weaker in particular at Jan Breydel, than the overall level of a match which took place on a pitch unworthy of the D1A. The new grass, freshly planted, was not ready and clods of earth came loose as the meeting progressed.
A meeting that Anderlecht started quite well: Ali Maamar, surprised by the leader, found Anders Dreyer behind the defense and the Dane’s volley went wide (7th). But on a loss of ball from Rits, Chemsdine Talbi rockets on the right side and finds the head of Ferran Jutgla (10th, 0-1).
Dolberg and Amuzu leave injured
The RSCA reacted well: from a corner, Dendoncker placed it in the side net (13th), before Mignolet had to pull out all the stops in front of Dreyer (15th). The game then stops: the RSCA, in possession, struggles to find solutions, even if Dolberg’s finesse offers Rits a shooting angle – above (26th). The same Dolberg suffers from the pitch, and ends up limping: he will not return after the break.
Before that, however, there will still be action: the Anderlecht defense holds firm… until a free kick stupidly conceded by Rits which allows, via a mix-up, to Jutgla to score a double (41st, 0-2). Francis Amuzu believes he is reducing the gap before the break, but is flagged offside; his bad luck will be doubled when a chance contact with Ordoñez injures his jaw, forcing him to be taken out on a stretcher.
Anderlecht simply too weak
We would have liked to have more things to write to you about the second half: the truth is that it was poor, unworthy of a match of this standard. Anderlecht will try to push, coming up against both an imperial Bruges defense (Mechele, still impassable) and its own limits, like those of a Dendoncker once again lost.
Hazard goes up without succeeding in bringing his liveliness; Meijer goes up and immediately puts Rits in the wind (71st), then multiplies the raids. Vazquez came on at half-time, but was only served once (and badly) by Rits, coming up against Mignolet; Gustaf Nilssonhe goes up and corrects his big miss (77th) with the 0-3 from a corner in stride (79th). No one believed it anymore, however: the shortcomings of this Anderlecht are too great in the absence of so many executives. David Hubert will have to work miracles while waiting for his reinforcements to integrate…
