It was not with force majeure, but it is also economical. Union has corrected his small mistake on Wednesday on the field of Cercle with a home win against OH Leuven. After an attractive game of football with chances on both sides, the team from Brussels, who are now unbeaten in fourteen games, won 1-0. The gap with leader Genk, which saw its match against Eupen postponed due to snowfall, has been reduced to six points at least temporarily.
Both teams were looking forward to it and that resulted in a highly attractive first half. OH Leuven immediately had a first chance when Patris headed on goal, goalkeeper Morris made the save. Boniface soon made his move on the other side. Ricca saved his shot off the line. Union was boss for a while. Lazare aimed at goalkeeper Cojocaru, a fantastic Boniface did the same.
Around half an hour OHL came more into the game. That led to a great chance for Dom, who came alone in front of Morris, but the latter had a great save. After that, Schrijvers moored, but he decided about it. In a very promising first half, each team had a chance in the end: Adingra and Patris had not set their sights quite right and so the 0-0 on the scoreboard remained at half time. All in all, Union was the most dangerous team in the first half, but the team from Leuven could just as well have taken the lead.
Photo: BELGIAN
An opportunity right after the break. Boniface lashed out, Cojocaru kept a clean sheet. OHL had an even better opportunity, but Thorsteinsson aimed wide. And another chance immediately followed, because Nsingi – the replacement for the injured Gonzalez – started. Morris had to go flat to keep the ball out of his goal. Twenty minutes before the end, Union got a free kick in a dangerous place just outside the box. Teuma didn’t do enough with it and aimed into the wall.
Nilsson towers over it
Union has never dropped points two games in a row this season and for a long time it looked like it was going to happen. The second half was a little less promising than the first, but it eventually resulted in a goal. The substitute Lapoussin had plenty of room to cross from the left fifteen minutes before the end and put the ball on the head of Nilsson, who towered over his guards and headed the 1-0 against the nets.
OHL did not give in. Five minutes before the end, Patris had his second big chance of the match on a corner kick, but the ball hit the crossbar. Union held on and thus strengthens its second place. The people of Leuven are again doing a bad job in the battle for the play-offs, after they already got stuck on a draw against Eupen on Tuesday.
goals: 78′ 1-0 Nilsson (Lapoussin)
Union: Moris, Kandouss, Burgess, Machida, Nieuwkoop, Lynen, Lazare (90+2′ El Azzouzi), Teuma, Adingra (65′ Lapoussin), Nilsson (83′ Puertas), Boniface
OHL: Cojocaru, Patris, Pletinckx, Ricca, Ouedraogo, Dom, De Norre, Schrijvers (81′ Kiyine), Vlietinck (81′ Al-Tamari), Thorsteinsson, Nsingi
Yellow cards: 25′ Thorsteinsson, 34′ Writers, 62′ Burgess, 69′ Ricca
Referee: Lothar D’Hondt
Photo: BELGIAN
