RSC Anderlecht travelled to the KAA Gent Arena on Sunday evening. Brian Riemer fielded exactly the same starting eleven as for the victory over Cercle Brugge last weekend. For his return, Théo Leoni was on the bench, as was Benito Raman. The two teams played out a 1-1 draw.
The match started with plenty of pace on both sides, but it was not until the quarter-hour mark that Ghent had two shots on target. Attempts by Julien De Sart and Matisse Samoise failed to trouble Kasper Schmeichel. The home side pressed hard and won most of the possession, but failed to capitalise. On the half-hour mark, Ludwig Augustinsson was forced to make way for Moussa N'Diaye following early contact with Hugo Cuypers. A few minutes before the break, the Buffalos took the lead when Matisse Samoise's shot was deflected out of Kasper Schmeichel's reach by Thomas Delaney. In stoppage time, the referee pointed to the spot after Tsuyoshi Watanabe had fouled Thorgan Hazard. Kasper Dolberg was unflappable and restored parity: 1-1 at the break.
Anderlecht's comeback was energetic and Davy Roef had to be alert to Thorgan Hazard's effort. The match then followed a similar pattern to the first half. Gent dominated possession, but only had one clear-cut chance. Kasper Schmeichel then saved another Matisse Samoise effort. On the hour mark, Théo Leoni came on for Mario Stroeykens. Real chances were few and far between, but in stoppage time Luis Vázquez - who came on for Kasper Dolberg - came close to making the difference on two occasions. A Sven Kums through ball then just missed the target. A well-deserved point against the Buffalos in a fierce duel in which both sides never gave up.
KAA Gent |
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RSC Anderlecht |
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