As a red lantern in the first class, a move to Beveren was no gift. Yet Westerlo absolutely had to make the best of it if it wanted to keep the alarm bells off.
But not long after Prince Laurent kicked off, trainer Jonas De Roeck already heaved a deep sigh.
A cross reached Sander Coopman. He didn’t hesitate for a millisecond and gave SK Beveren the lead with a great volley. The roof of the goal just didn’t come off, and the mood was also great on the Freethiel.
Westerlo fought its way into the game with great difficulty. Just when they had the best chances to score an equalizer, the Kempen residents were treated to a cold shower. Hrncar found the bottom corner just before half time, making it a painful 2-0.
Westerlo’s ordeal did not stop there. Substitute Koyalipou flawlessly converted a lightly whistled eleven-meter shot. Madsen also scored a penalty, but that was nothing more than a cover-up.
The cup turns out to be a poisoned gift for Westerlo. The pressure on Jonas De Roeck is increasing in the run-up to the league match against OHL.
Lukas Van Eenoo (Westerlo): “I can’t say much about it. Beveren was sharper than us in the first half. Their first chance was a goal, then you know it will be a very difficult match. We had to do better. But it characterizes our season, very frustrating.”
“Of course something like that plays in your head. I shot everything in during the warm-up, but in the match it doesn’t work. The supporters don’t deserve this. But I can assure you that we are also concerned about it.”
“A nice cup course can add color to your season, but in our situation the competition is much more important. Going to Leuven and STVV at home are of vital importance to us. We wanted to show that Westerlo was still alive. Everyone knows we are in shit, but we must continue to believe in a way out.”
Sander Coopman (SK Beveren): “It was a great match for us. The match couldn’t have started better. You could feel everything that it was going to be a great evening. I had signed up for this scenario in advance.”
“We knew that Westerlo did not want to come to us. It was the ideal time to play against them. I hope things work out for them, because they are a good team.”
2023-11-01 20:57:00
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