At the bottom of the standings, OHL and last-placed Beerschot have kept each other in balance. The home team deserved more, but the game ended as it had started: 0-0 on the scoreboard.
OH Leuven – Beerschot in a nutshell:
- Key moment: Ten minutes before half time, OHL player Malinov escaped a second yellow card. An exclusion from the Bulgarian could have changed the look of the match.
- Man of the match: Mike Vanhamel was by far the best man at Beerschot. He made a number of famous saves from his sleeves and saved Beerschot from another defeat.
- Remarkable: OH Leuven has already failed to beat Beerschot for seven games in a row. The previous six matches were won by Beerschot, today they share the points.
OHL dominates, Malinov escapes red
OHL had the best start in this six-point match. In the fifteen minutes Beerschot had to count on an excellent Vanhamel to whip a Dewaest shot out of his goal.
And it didn’t stop there. Conductor Mercier provided a wonderful assist for Maertens, but it lingered too long and allowed defender Radic to return.
Ten minutes before half time, the home team was lucky when Malinov escaped a second yellow card after a foul on Pietermaat. In the end, it was not Malinov, but someone from Beerschot’s staff who received a yellow card for protest.
Only towards the end of the first half, Beerschot came out a bit more. Soumaré and Noubissi put together some nice moves, but threatening OHL goalkeeper Romo was never really possible.
Vanhamel saves a point for Beerschot
The second period started evenly, with both teams attacking. Rezaei did not profit from a mess in the back of Beerschot, on the other side Romo stopped a good header from Noubissi.
But soon it was again OHL that called the shots. Dewaest and De Norre, among others, encountered a very strong Vanhamel, who in between also had to play firefighter with some bombs from his own supporters.
OHL continued to put pressure on Beerschot. Substitutes Kaba and Schrijvers also contributed, but they also did not get the zero wiped off the board.
In injury time Malinov was still excluded with his second yellow card, but that did not change the result anymore: 0-0, given the game image, OHL in particular cannot be satisfied with that.
Mercier: “Beerschot had come to play 0-0”
- Xavier Mercier (OHL): “Beerschot had come here to play for 0-0, and they succeeded. I think that’s bizarre. In the first half they were already winning at goal kicks and corner kicks. That’s not how you play football. But we did. fell into their trap and didn’t score either. We are very disappointed about that.”
- Frederic Frans (Beerschot): “At the end of the day, we have a positive feeling about this. We are also taking our first clean sheet. We have worked hard and fought hard. In the situation we are in, you have to work with small steps. We work for two weeks with the new coach, and I think you’re seeing progress. We need to get more solid. And we showed that today. Now we can build step by step.”
- Mathieu Maertens (OHL): “There was certainly more in it for us. The ball will not go with me this year. We have had many opportunities, which we always have to finish. But that didn’t happen today. We know that is a working point. If we can win a match 2-0 or 3-0, then the confidence will come back. And then we left.”
