Standard de Liège found its way back on Friday against Eupen after being disoriented by Antwerp last week (4-1). The people of Liège have indeed won 3-1 against the German speakers on behalf of the 23rd day of the Pro League, getting back on track for the race for the playoffs 1.
However, the meeting did not start ideally for the Rouches, picked cold by the Pandas after only ten minutes of play. Far from being reassuring, the Liège defense had inexplicably left Brandon Baiye walk in the rectangle and favor a strike ofIsaac Christie-Davies. A consignment diverted by Arnaud Bodard in the feet of Regan Charles-Cook, reactive to make 0-1 (11th).
We then thought that Standard had gone to a complicated meeting but the people of Liège reacted promptly, with character, to get back in the direction of travel.
The team of Ronny Deila – relieved by departures from Dennis Dragus et Aleksandar Boljevic – besieged the opposing camp and reaped the rewards of his forcing half an hour into the game.
A breakthrough of Laifis then led to messy action in the Eupenois rectangle to finally benefit William Balikisha whose powerful strike left no chance for Lennart Moser.
A first blow from which Eupen did not have time to recover. The wanderings of the defense of Pandas did some damage just 4 minutes later when a scramble cleared the way for a curling strike from Philip Zinckernagel. An unstoppable send-off to make it 2-1 and allow Standard to return to the locker room with a goal lead.
Well back in the second period, the Liégeois logically widened the gap before the hour mark. A new skid of the German-speaking defense – from Lambert in this case – offered to Stipe Perica the opportunity to make it 3-1 on a goal full of power and ingenuity (59th).
Well organized, Standard managed the last half hour of the match without any problem, also wasting some good counter opportunities.
With 37 points on the clock, Standard temporarily relocates to 5th place in the Pro League. Just behind La Gantoise (38 pts) and Club Bruges (37 pts).
Eupen is 15th with 20 points, tied with the relegated first Zulte Waregem.
