© BELGA
KV Mechelen won 2-4 at KV Oostende on the 13th match day in the Jupiler Pro League. Hugo Cuypers punished the Ostend defenders after 25 minutes of fumbling and Kerim Mrabti scored the 0-2 before half time. After five minutes in the second half it was already 0-3 after a second goal from Mrabti. Makhtar Gueye was able to score quickly and Frederik Jäkel even took care of the 2-3 ten minutes before the end. But in the final phase, substitute Geoffrey Hairemans sealed the fate of the Kustboys. With this victory, Malinwa (with one more match played) is tied with Club Brugge in second place, two points behind leader Union.
Junior Verbeeke
Was it pleasant to stay by the sea, at the beginning of the autumn holidays? For the people from Mechelen yes, but KVO fans would rather have sat in a restaurant along the Visserskaai. History repeated itself: the start and by extension the first half of Ostend were dramatic. Blessin had left top scorer Gueye, who has been throwing his clack at it for a few weeks, on the bench. Probably, but the German had forgotten that no replacement can reach half his level. Kvasina may well score with eyes closed against the amateurs of Onhaye: it has been too little for 1A for a year and a half.
Before halftime, KVO did not manage a single chance that was played, while KV Mechelen was deadly efficient. First Fortes rolled out the red carpet for Cuypers (0-1) with a carom, then Mrabti was allowed to score at the far post after Storm once waved his hips on the left. The cross that followed was also of excellent manufacture. It must have been a misunderstanding: the match had started fifteen minutes later due to the heavy traffic on the highway. But at KV Oostende they apparently understood 45 minutes.
Blessin had no choice but to give in: Gueye trudged onto the field at the start of the second half. But what good is a scoring striker when you defend the back line like sandbags? Early in the second half, Mrabti was allowed to enter his second after KVM once again cut through the butter like a knife. Traditionally, KVO decided to start on the hour… with a 0-3 deficit. It did so under the impulse of the strong invaders. Gueye – who else – was able to moderate with a good goal, then a cross from Capon licked the bar. Meanwhile, Mrabti’s hat-trick was rightly disallowed for offside.
Red for Vanderbiest and Koziello
We got another crazy lock. Traditionally, the deficit worked like a red rag to a bull at KVO, and Jäkel scored the connecting goal ten minutes before the end. Meanwhile, Vanderbiest was shown red on the Mechelen bench. But KV Mechelen did not let himself be caught: Hairemans painted the 2-4 only nicely past Hubert two minutes before the end, whereby the Ostend hope was finally crushed. KVO has to do without Koziello (red), Ndicka and Gueye at OHL, because they are all suspended. That too.
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