Conference LeagueFlute concertos gave way to applause. Anderlecht played below par against Paide for an hour, but in the end won big thanks to – again – Fábio Silva. Already the chouchou of the Park. “We lacked a bit of everything: playmaking, intensity, recovery…”, Felice Mazzu analyzed the weak start of his team.
Ooooh Fabio Silvaechoed through Lotto Park a little past the hour.
The sold-out stadium suddenly regained hope after sixty minutes of faded football. Their Portuguese striker, the author of three goals in the past four matches, had come between the lines.
It was as if the supporters already knew that they would finally see spectacle. The Redeemer descending in Lotto Park.
They were served at their beck and call. Silva’s input – and Refaelov’s – brought more fire to Anderlecht than the whole hour before. Three minutes, that’s all the duo needed to make the Park explode after all. Lovely pass from ‘Rafa’, neatly slid in by Silva. Number four in five games was already a fact. Where will his counter end next?
Next week, when it comes to Anderlecht’s marbles against the Young Boys, both Refaelov and Silva are certitudes in Mazzu’s starting eleven. The best over 36s on the European fields X a Portuguese goalscoring machine. A deadly combination full of flair and killer instinct. Purple and white are dancing to their rhythm these days.
That high form especially Silva in the next half hour with pleasure in the paint. He sprinted as if his life depended on it and was a continuous scourge for the Estonian defence. Mazzu had seen that too. “Our substitutions brought a new impetus to the team. Fábio and the others made the players who had it harder before, better. Murillo is the best example of this.” It went like this: after goalkeeper Aksalu Silva had loved his second goal, he handed the Panamanian the 2-0. Same scenario a handful of minutes later, when Silva started Murillo’s second goal with a low cross. impact.
What a contrast to striker brother and buddy Sebastiano Esposito, whom Silva had put out of his misery on the hour. The Italian is clearly still struggling with his form this season – it was not his match yesterday either. A first goal would do him good. However, Esposito could even have scored a hat-trick before halftime. His free kick first ended up just wide, then the finish was below par and a few minutes later Aksalu delivered a great save. Esposito is not doing well. “Sebastiano clearly needs a little more time than Fabio to adapt,” Mazzu protected his striker. “I don’t doubt him in any way. In time, the right connections and goals will follow.”
If it can be any consolation for Esposito: a lot of teammates underperformed for an hour. However, there was no question of laziness after the 0-2 win in the first leg. Mazzu had once again mixed up his team: Olsson and Sardella got their first base place, Ashimeru and Raman were also allowed to start again. There were good intentions, the quality was simply lacking. “We lacked a little bit of everything: playmaking, intensity, recovery…”, Mazzu analyzed. “It is of course not easy for players who have only played a little to get there right away.”
In any case, such a dull first hour against Young Boys is out of the question. The Swiss, much more than Paide, do have the weapons to punish that.
The public just yesterday covered it with the mantle of love. Flute concerts gave way to rounds of applause.
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