SINT-TRUIDEN – BEERSCHOT 1 – 0
Beerschot ended the wonderful and extremely successful year 2020 on a low. With a fourth successive defeat. The covid-19 afterpains have cost us dearly. Tonight a goal from Suzuki (not ours but theirs) decided the game.
Coach Hernan Losada put Fré Frans and Ryan Sanusi back in the starting lineup. Beerschot opted for a slow build up and ball possession to grow into the game, with shots from Holzhauser and Vorogovskiy that ended up high in the stands. The home team’s counters were more dangerous. But the attempts of both Colidio and Cacace went inches wide.
STVV’s ‘safety first’ football killed all excitement and Beerschot were unable to dismantle the double defensive wall. Only Sanusi tried his luck from about 25 yards distance. It was the only shot on target in a very disappointing first half.
Just before half time the home team opened the score. After an easily conceded corner the unmarked Suzuki headed home a high cross behind Van den Buijs’ back. Totally unnecessarily. What an uppercut that was.
Beerschot found their rhythm after the break, with two golden scoring opportunities in the fourth quarter. But Van den Buijs saw his shot blocked by a STVV-defender while Holzhauser aimed too high at the far post. At the other end Mike Vanhamel needed to be at his best to prevent Suzuki from scoring his second goal.
Noubissi and Sanyang came on as extra strikers in search for that all important equaliser but Schmidt kept a clean sheet without too many problems and secured STVV’s third victory in a row.
ATTENDANCE: 0
REFEREE: Dierick
GOALS: 41’ Suzuki 1-0
STVV: Schmidt, Caufriez, Buatu, Teixeira, Garcia, Cacace, Konate, De Ridder, Colidio (77’ Durkin), Suzuki (90+2’ Sankhon), Nazon (81’ Balongo)
BEERSCHOT: Vanhamel, Vorogovskiy (87’ Eleke), Frans, Van den Buijs, Van den Bergh, Bourdin (71’ Sanyang), Pietermaat (55’ Noubissi), Sanusi, Coulibaly, Holzhauser, Suzuki
YELLOW CARDS: Konate, Cacace
RED CARDS: none
By Danny Geerts
Photo: Jan Mees
