Zulte Waregem didn’t miss a beat in his first game of the season. Against Seraing it had dominance throughout the match and fifteen minutes before the end Alieu Fadera also converted the Waregem dominance into a lead. In the end, Lopez finally put the reassuring 2-0 on the board.
“A good start is the key to a quiet season”, Zulte Waregem coach Mbaye Leye had noted the day before the match against Seraing. Against the people of Liège – on paper by far the easiest opponent to face Essevee in the first weeks of the season – a victory was more than appropriate. And his group of players seemed to have understood that too, because Essevee, where newcomers Tambedou, Lopez, Drambaiev, Rommens, Miroshi and Sangaré were immediately given a starting place, started the game well. Early in the game, Dietsch even needed an excellent reflex to keep Vossen from the opening goal. A weak header from the same Vossen could not alarm the Frenchman either.
Waregem’s ascendancy
It was the harbinger of a one-sided first half. Zulte Waregem had the game firmly in hand and also created some excellent opportunities. For example, Sangeré aimed too centrally from the edge of the sixteen after a clever combination and Dompé Dietsch was also unable to outwit with a solid bang. Jean-Luc Dompé was also one of the stars of the home team. The Frenchman may be looking for a transfer, but he is certainly not walking around in Waregem against his will.
After half an hour of play, Essevee had already created enough opportunities to earn a lead. Only the Waregem vanguard still lacked efficiency. Drambaiev also showed this at left back: on a perfectly cut cross from Sangaré, the Ukrainian could not reach the ball enough in the small back line to print. Although it was made anything but easy for him by Seraing defender Tsibuabua. And Seraing? That did nothing in the first half except for a header from Conceiçao.
Fadera breaks the ban
The game image remained unchanged in the second half, although the pace was now also a lot lower on Waregem’s side and disturbing sloppiness regularly crept into the game. In terms of chances, we were left hungry for a while. It wasn’t until just after the hour that Zulte Waregem could threaten again. Dietsch, however, went down well on a slider from Vossen.
With Fadera’s input, Leye tried to give the match a new impulse. And it turned out to be a golden move, because where Lopez first crushed a huge chance, it was precisely the substitute Gambian who broke the spell. A high ball from Ciranni seemed to blow past everything and everyone, but in the second zone Vossen was just able to head the ball back in front of the goal. Fadera reacted the most briskly and broke the spell for the home team with the inside tap. The hardest part was over for the men of Mbaye Leye. Seraing tried to make a modest fist, but the Liegeans were never able to embarrass Essevee again. On the contrary: with a good header, Lopez also made it 2-0 in the end
Essevee will start the season with a good win. Not unimportant either, because with Antwerp, Club Brugge and KRC Genk there are now three much tougher opponents than – with all due respect – Seraing, who really seems to be the weaker brother in 1A.
Zulte Waregem: Bossut, Ciranni, Tambedou, Lopez, Drambaiev (83′ De Bock), Sissako, Rommens, Miroshi (88′ Hubert), Sangaré (66′ Fadera), Vossen (88′ Braem), Dompé (83′ Demuynck)
Seraing: Dietsch, Tshibuabua, Opare, Tremoulet (79′ Guillaume), Conceiçao, Lahssaini (79′ Spago), Lepoint, Poaty, Bernier, Sissoko, Mouandilmadji (71′ Sambu)
Goals: 74′ Fadera (Vossen) 1-0, 87′ Lopez (Rommens) 2-0
Yellow cards: 38′ Sangaré, 81′ Guillaume
Red cards: No
Referee: Bert Put
