Luka Elsner failed to keep the 3 points at home against his ex-team. Standard seemed to be on its way to defeat at home for a long time, until Bokadi managed to unlock the Kortrijk lock in the final phase. An even draw with nothing to do with either team. “3 out of 9 is not enough for Standard”, Elsner realizes.
Standard – KV Kortrijk in a nutshell:
- Key moment: Standard can only avoid another defeat in the final phase, thanks to substitutes Carcela and Bokadi. The first shows off with a delicate heel, the second finishes it off flawlessly.
- Man of the match: Mehdi Carcela made the difference with his substitute fifteen minutes before the end. He was the engine of the Liège final offensive and provided the assist for the equalizer. He almost guided Klauss to the winning goal.
- Remarkable: Standard is with 3 defeats and 3 draws in 6 league games in a row without a win. In 7 home games, it could only pick up 6 points this season. Only against KV Oostende, at the end of August, could Standard book a home win.
Dussenne prevents the 0-1, Ilic the 1-0
Less than a month ago, Luka Elsner left KV Kortrijk to try his luck at Standard. The visitors were therefore extra stimulated at the kick-off at Sclessin, but had to deal with a damper early on. Kadri was injured in a duel with Cimirot immediately after kick-off and was forced to leave 10 minutes later.
In a particularly weak first half, there was only some excitement after more than half an hour. Selemani brought Gueye into position and he took Bodart down, but Dussenne was able to clear the ball just before the goal line. Standard escaped and there was no response. The home side had nothing to offer more than a slight deviation from Klauss next to the goal.
Only in extra time could Standard make it difficult for the visitors. Ilic had to show his ability on a nice free kick by Siquet and shortly afterwards the goalkeeper was again the lifesaver for Kortrijk. With a great save, he stopped Nkounkou just before the break of the opening goal.
Substitutes give Standard another point
Standard was unable to continue the strong final sprint in the first half after the break. Kortrijk also saw substitute Ocansey drop out after Kadri, but after 7 minutes did open the score out of the blue. Bodart was able to parry a header from Gueye, but he had no chance against Moreno’s rebound. The VAR left Kortrijk in suspense for a while, but eventually saw no offside from Gueye: 0-1.
Standard did not have a strong response to that backlog, much to the dismay of the home supporters. Twenty minutes before the end, the home team suddenly came close to the equalizer. Bastien was able to hit from close range on a pass from Raskin, but Ilic prevented the 1-1 with a wonderful reflex.
Fifteen minutes before the end, Elsner dropped Carcela into the team and that turned out to be a golden move. With a lovely heel on a through pass from Nkounkou, the Moroccan Belgian Bokadi, another substitute, offered the equalizer in the final phase. Standard suddenly saw his chance and did everything he could, but it didn’t come any further than another division of points.
Elsner: “Not losing is not enough for Standard”
- Karim Belhocine (coach KV Kortrijk): “We are satisfied with this result. Standard still put a lot of pressure on us at the end, but thanks to our excellent mentality we held on. Of course there is also some disappointment, because we have relinquished a lead. But it seems like a fair draw to me. I have to congratulate my boys for the character they showed today. When you can’t win a game anymore, it’s important that you avoid defeat.”
- Luka Elsner (standard trainer): “After the 0-1 we lost our courage for a while, but the substitutes have brought energy into the team again. That’s how we got back into the game. Kortrijk had a chance and a half at times when we were not alert enough. It certainly wasn’t a perfect game, but mentally it’s important that we fought back. The fact that we gave a beaten impression after the 0-1 has everything to do with the unfavorable match scenarios of recent months. 3 out of 9 is not enough, not losing is not enough for Standard. I’d rather lose 1 match than win 2. It’s a tough road, but we’re making progress every game.”
