It has been a long time since we have been able to say this: Beerschot’s defense is the man of the match. One person stood out and that was Mauricio Lemos.
In the passing matches (against Anderlecht and Racing Genk), Beerschot conceded no less than 11 goals. The defense was a sieve while the strikers couldn’t find their way to goal. Today the turning point came. Beerschot owed this to a duo in the center in the back. Stipe Radic and Mauricio Lemos were pivotal in the resurrection of Beerschot.
Radic kept Beerschot almost alone in the match. He turned the ball away from the goal line four times and was thus the embodiment of ‘Operation Rescue’.
Even more striking in the center back was Uruguayan defender Mauricio Lemos. Strong in the duels, good pass and a wonderful goal. Holzhauser is the regular free kick taker, but because he was on the bench, Lemos got his chance. His first free kick was a gem and the goal of hope for Beerschot. Even an empty Olympic stadium exploded for a moment thanks to this goal.
This is what Beerschot needed, strong defense, a gem of a goal and finally another win. Did Lemos help with ‘Operation Rescue’?
