Jupiler Pro League – matchday 22 – 24/01/26 – 20:48
Union has dropped points in the Belgian competition for the first time in 2026. When they visited OH Leuven, it did not get any further than a 0-0 draw. For example, the Brussels residents STVV and Club Brugge are closing in on one and two points respectively in the standings. At OH Leuven they will be particularly disappointed that they did not receive a penalty after a VAR intervention.
OH Leuven – Union in a nutshell:
- Key moment
We are not even ten minutes into the second half when Allaerts points to the spot. Guilherme took the ball with his hand when playing football, although the VAR sees that he first touched it with his body. So no penalty, and that could have given the match a different twist – especially for OHL.
- Man of the match
Although Maziz posed a lot of threat to the Leuven team, it was Kjell Scherpen who kept Union in the match today. The Dutch goalkeeper was attentive to crosses and long balls, and kept OHL from scoring several times with some excellent saves.
- Remarkable
Union is unable to achieve a series in the JPL, and they have certainly gone through a dip in the last few matches. Tonight’s draw brought their stats to just 2 wins in the last 7 games. There is work to be done for Hubert, who sees STVV and Club Brugge coming dangerously close.
From the Allianz Arena to Den Dreef. While Union put in a strong performance against Bayern Munich a few days ago, it hoped to continue that performance today when they visited the Leuven team.
Although Mazzu’s troops – who added no fewer than 5 new names to the team – did not want to simply put themselves aside and wanted to get back to winning ways.
And that was noticeable. There was plenty of intensity, fighting spirit and good intentions from the start, but we had to wait a while for (big) opportunities.
Only after half an hour was El Hadj able to escape at the back of the Leuven defense. With a wonderful long ball from Schoofs, the attacking midfielder had a great chance at the opening goal, but he chased the ball a few meters past the goal in a much too hasty manner.
They almost got the ball a few minutes later, but Schrijvers was a few centimeters short of putting the headed corner kick into the goal.
So no goals in the first half, and not even a shot between the posts. In short, a first half to quickly forget.
Then the second half had much more in store.
Especially along the Leuven side. Maziz was able to escape the Brussels defense for the first time, but saw his shot explode on the post.
Not much later, Leuven seemed to have a golden opportunity to take the lead, when ref Allaerts pointed to the spot after Guilherme’s handball. The replay showed that it first deviated with his body before landing on his hand. It was enough for VAR to overturn the penalty.
Frustration at its peak among the people of Leuven.
Although they were not fooled and at times were even the better team. There was little to note on the Union side in the second half. Two tries from Zorgane put Tobe Leysen in action, but it was not enough to claim more.
Then Scherpen had to be more alert on the other side. And he was. The Dutchman played an excellent match and kept the Leuven team from scoring the winning goal. Although the sting was almost in his tail, when substitute Zeneli put the ball inches wide for Union.
Den Dreef breathed a sigh of relief, although it will mainly be the VAR that canceled the penalty. Union thus loses points in Leuven, and sees STVV and Club Brugge approaching dangerously in the standings.
Hubert: “The quality may not always have been there”
David Hubert (coach Union): “We start well in the first twenty minutes, with a good chance in the first minute. Then there is the open chance of Anouar, who is a bit late to get there just for Leysen. Those are the moments in such games that you have to seize. The goal does not come, but there is little going on defensively in the first half.”
“In the second half you get a kind of cup match with a lot of transitions up and down, where the goal could be scored on either side. We get away well in a stagnant phase, but then we get an open chance with Zeleni. To be honest, that second half doesn’t deserve a winner either. We have to be a little more mature in the second half and ensure that we don’t get into those problems.”
“I don’t think it was more difficult for the boys to connect after that Champions League match last week. We started the match strongly, and based on what the boys showed in the rest of the match, I have nothing to say. The focus was there, but the quality was a bit lacking in finishing and on the ball. It was mainly a physically tough match, especially after the midweek against Bayern Munich.”
“There are still many important matches that will follow each other in quick succession, but the trick is to live from match to match and to win each time. Today the boys did everything they could. The quality may not always have been there, but it is important that you don’t dwell on it for too long and quickly focus on the next match.”
Ewoud Pletinckx (OHL): “We played very solidly in the first half. They were a little more dominant in the first 20 to 30 minutes, but then we took over. Especially in the second half, we had the most to claim the three points. We are in a situation where we don’t make much progress with a point, but the most important thing today was to keep a clean sheet and go for the three points. We know that efficiency has been the problem for a whole season, but today we defended very solidly and kept a clean sheet. Now that we can increase our efficiency, the rest will follow.”
Fedde Leysen (Union SG): It was a game that could have gone either way. We came here to take home the three points, but unfortunately we didn’t succeed. That big miss in the end is certainly sad, but we have to move on.”
END: 0-0
Enthusiasm at its best in the second half, which more than made up for a poor first half. However, there were goals missing, and this match between OHL and Union ends in a spectacular score. OHL in particular will be disappointed about the ball on Maziz’s post and the penalty that was canceled by the VAR. In addition, Scherpen kept Union straight several times, although the Leuven team managed to get away well in the end after a dot from a miss by Zeneli.
Save Sharpen (bis)
What an opportunity for OHL! Scherpen makes an excellent save on a low kick from Lakomy. In the restart, Kaba still works the ball into the goal, but clearly does so from an offside position! A shame for the people of Leuven.
Zeneli with the miss!
Oh la la, this was Union’s chance to win! Union comes out strong again on the counter-attack, and the cross also reaches substitute Zeneli in the second zone. He takes the ball in one go, but sees his attempt end up a few centimeters past the post.
An extra 7 minutes will be added.
We get no less than 7 minutes of added time. Can anyone still pull the curtain on this?
Maziz’s stagnant phases are a constant threat tonight. Once again his cross has been turned in excellently, but Scherpen pays close attention. Even in the restart, the ball does not want to go in for the people of Leuven.
We are now gradually reaching the absolute end. At OHL, fatigue seems to be playing a role now, and so they are doing everything they can to keep the point. Based on the second half, that would certainly be deserved.
Leysen with the fists
A Union corner takes a long time, but Zorgane is still able to head it into the second zone. Leysen pays close attention and can box away. Union is now pushing again, but has to watch out for the sharp counter-attacks from the people of Leuven.
Traore just not!
Substitute Traoré is sent deep, but lacks control. This makes it an easy pick up for Scherpen.
The last fifteen minutes have started. Is anyone still getting the best of Den Dreef?
