All eyes were obviously on the Refaelovs, given the visit from Lior’s ex-club. A camera followed his wife and children everywhere in the stands, the father was under the spotlight on the ground. And it did not disappoint.
However, Birger Verstraete did not miss it at the start of the match. Rafa almost lost his temper. “I know Antwerp and I know Birger”he explained after the match. “From the kick-off, I felt he was following me everywhere. I knew he was going to tackle me. It’s more anti-football than football, but hey. It doesn’t surprise me.”
Refaelov did not lose his means and was the pre-assist man on the 1-0. “Too bad we didn’t score 2-0. We’ve been complicating our lives all season by forgetting to increase the score.”
But Anderlecht ended up winning, thanks to the nice pass from Rafa towards Kouamé, followed by his unstoppable penalty kick. “I was thinking Butez thought I would kick in the middle of the goal. I’m glad I decided to kick in the right corner. The moment I made that choice? When the referee whistled.”
According to Refaelov, the three points were well deserved. “The best team won in a great atmosphere. I had fun on the pitch. It’s to play matches like this that we work for a whole season.”
The conclusion: the door to playoffs 1 is wide open for Anderlecht. Refaelov: “Let Antwerp and Ghent fight for the last ticket.”
