On Thursday evening, RSC Anderlecht traveled to the Czech Republic for the seventh matchday of the league phase of the UEFA Europa League. The Mauves suffered a 2-0 defeat against Viktoria Plzeň. Next week, they will need to set things straight in their home match against Hoffenheim, which will decide Sporting’s fate.
The home team came out of the gates firing and opened the scoring after barely three minutes through Lukas Červ. To make matters worse, the referee awarded a soft penalty to the Czechs ten minutes later. Fortunately for Sporting, Pavel Šulc’s weak shot was easily saved by Colin Coosemans. It took over 20 minutes for the first on-target attempt from the Brussels side, but Tristan Degreef’s shot posed no threat to the goalkeeper. Just before halftime, Prince Adu capitalized on a defensive error. His lob hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced on the line, but Jan-Carlo Simić managed to clear the ball just in front of Matej Vydra. It was merely a delay, however, as Prince Adu doubled the lead shortly afterward with a well-executed team play. Halftime score: 2-0.
During the break, Ali Maamar was replaced by Yari Verschaeren, but once again, it was the Czechs who started strong. Colin Coosemans had to intervene immediately on a powerful strike from Prince Adu. After an hour of play, coach David Hubert decided to go all-in, bringing on Thorgan Hazard, Francis Amuzu, and Killian Sardella for Nilson Angulo, Tristan Degreef, and Thomas Foket. Viktoria, however, hit the woodwork for the second time shortly after, with a cross-shot from Cadu. Matej Vydra failed to take advantage of the rebound. Despite the substitutions, the Brussels side struggled to create any significant chances. Prince Adu, on the other hand, hit the post for the third time, yet another stroke of bad luck for the Czechs. The European night ended in disappointment for the Mauves, who must step up next week at home against the German side Hoffenheim to make up for this performance.
RSC Anderlecht |
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