Standard earned a deserved 2-0 victory in the Walloon derby against Charleroi, with two goals scored late in the first half. The Carolos, unable to create serious chances, only had one real opportunity in 90 minutes, which allowed the Liégeois to win without too much difficulty.
Two goals before the break, Charleroi powerless
Charleroi started well, largely dominating the first fifteen minutes, but this domination remained sterile, without any real chances. Liège’s awakening came shortly before the half-hour mark, when Price forced a good save from Koné. A few minutes later, Standard continued to accelerate, but Price, once again, failed to deceive the vigilance of the Carole goalkeeper.
The worst attack in the Pro League (with only 5 goals in 10 games) finally found the fault in the 40th minute. A long throw from Epolo found Eckert Ayensa, who scored with a tiptoe to open the scoring. Shortly after, Liégeois doubled the lead: a precise free kick from Bulat was deflected by Zeqiri towards Sutalo, who only had to push the ball into the goal, bringing the score to 2-0 before the break.
Charleroi ineffective, Standard fails to kill the match
Charleroi tried to react in the 66th minute, taking advantage of a missed restart from Price, but Sylla, alone against Epolo, was unable to convert this rare opportunity. Standard could have increased the score on several occasions, notably when Zeqiri narrowly missed the target, and when Eckert Ayensa missed a penalty 10 minutes from time, Koné making a double save.
In stoppage time, Charleroi managed to reduce the gap, but too late to hope to come back. The final seconds were lively, but Standard logically won in this Walloon duel. With this victory, the Rouches climb to 9th place in the standings with 15 points, one point ahead of Charleroi.
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