Anderlecht has forgotten to park itself in the top 8. The Purple & White quickly fell behind against Standard after an unlucky goal, but Islam Slimani completely reversed a lopsided situation with two goals. Only the home team threw away a golden three-pointer through an own goal by Sardella.
Anderlecht – Standard in a nutshell:
- Man of the match: Slimani put himself in the spotlight with 2 goals, but it was Amuzu who always initiated the decisive actions. The dribbler winger again showed shreds of his high form and cashed in on his excellent performance with an assist and an elicited penalty kick.
- Key moment: The stars were still very favorable for Anderlecht on the hour. The home team was brimming with confidence after turning a 0-1 deficit into a lead, but it still got the lid on the nose again. Sardella unfortunately kicked the ball into his own goal.
In the classic against Standard, Anderlecht were able to dive into the top 8 of the ranking for the first time in 19 match days.
Four months ago, the match between the two teams ended (early) with fireworks, today it mainly started with it: before kick-off, the hard core set the stands ablaze with an imposing tifo. And also between the lines, Anderlecht started fiercely and fearlessly against his arch-rival from Liège.
All signs of improvement for the Purple & White. But what should have been a reference match for Anderlecht turned out to be a big fizzle again.
Growth (pain) in purple-white
The first half, however, was promising for the home team. The Purple & White first conceded a goal after fifteen minutes of play – after Dreyer got rid of it incorrectly -, but Anderlecht turned that lopsided situation around again in two crazy minutes.
Slimani and Amuzu guided the home team on and over Standard. The dribbler winger van Anderlecht first provoked a penalty kick and then scored with a well-measured assist. Twice goaltender Slimani thanked his striker brother for the supply.
No more canon of grumbling and cheering in the Lotto Park. The resilience of the players inspired the Purple & White supporters to rally behind the team as one man.
Still, the home team shot themselves in the foot again. Anderlecht had the game well under control in the second half, but on the hour mark again an individual foul was caught: Sardella deflected a lost cross from Zinckernagel into its own goal.
Those who don’t grow cannot have growing pains, but Anderlecht once again misses the opportunity to make the rehabilitation tangible in the rankings and to cash in on a place in the top 8.
Standard, in turn, can be happy with a point, but loses touch with the Champions’ play-offs.
“If we play again tomorrow: then we just win”
- Bart Verbruggen (Anderlecht): “There is mostly disappointment left behind tonight. We were dominant, but conceded two unnecessary goals. As a keeper it is annoying to conced two of those silly goals. We were the better team and if we met them again tomorrow I am convinced we would just win. Everyone sees that we are really making progress. You can see that on the field and now also in the standings.”
- Zeno Debast (Anderlecht): “There was really more to it today. We played a solid game, but those two goals still leave a sour taste behind. It was nice that we were able to bounce back after falling behind and fight our way back into the game. Now we have to Take the good and build on this performance. We should not use the fact that we played a midweek match as an excuse.”
“We started well, but were too passive afterwards”
- Philip Zinckernagel (Standard): “We are pleased that we were still able to score the 2-2. We also started the game well, but were too passive afterwards. They dominated us especially in the central axis and managed to break through the lines. made some good adjustments at half-time and were able to bounce back after falling behind. That of course speaks to our advantage. Although we also felt that Anderlecht was still a bit tired from the European midweek match. In the end we made it here – in difficult circumstances – after all a nice point.
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