Rayhan El Grafel, who had impressed in recent weeks with his substitute appearances and commitment in training, was rewarded with his first start. He too saw Beerschot begin cautiously. The young Buffalos took the initiative early on and came close to opening the score: an Abdullahi header struck the post. Moments later, goalkeeper Shinton had to make a fine save to keep the game scoreless.

After fifteen minutes, Beerschot showed some life. Claes picked out El Grafel with a cross, but his header lacked precision. The Bears gradually restored the balance, but creating real chances remained difficult. Half-time arrived with the score still 0-0.

Coach Messoudi made changes during the break, bringing on Guendouz and Khetir to add more creativity up front. The improvement was clear: Beerschot enjoyed more possession and passed the ball around with greater purpose, but clear-cut chances were still hard to come by. Just as Beerschot tried to turn the screw, Jong Gent struck. After a free kick, captain Soumah scored with a header, who made it 0-1 — a deserved lead given the run of play.

But Beerschot refused to give in. Messoudi once again turned to his tried-and-tested formula: pushing Brahic and Van den Eynden up front. And it paid off. Inside the box, Brahic held the ball up well and laid it off for Van Eenoo, whose effort hit both posts before bouncing back into play. Van den Eynden was alert and tapped it in easily — his third goal in a row, remarkable for a central defender.

Sensing blood, the Mannekes pushed for a late winner, hoping to steal all three points. Brahic and Van den Eynden both tested Gent keeper Peersman, but he stood firm. The best chance fell to Guendouz, who cut inside and unleashed a powerful strike, only to see it fly just wide. In the end, it finished 1-1 at the Planet Group Arena, leaving Beerschot with five points from their last three games.

Next week brings the local derby against Lierse, scheduled for Saturday at 16:00 in the Olympic Stadium. Jong Gent   K Beerschot VA

73' Mohamed Soumah1-0  1-185' Bas Van den Eynden


Lineup30 - Kjell Peersman
28 - Mohammed El Adfaoui
35 - Gilles De Meyer
38 - Mohamed Soumah
39 - Abdoul Ayinde
57 - Matties Volckaert
59 - El Hadji Seck
61 - Abubakar Abdullahi
62 - Wout Asselman
67 - Oleksandr Soroka
79 - Ruslan Vydysh


LineupNick Shinton - 33
Loïc Mbe Soh - 5
Bas Van den Eynden - 6
Rajiv Van La Parra - 7
Lukas Van Eenoo - 8
Ayouba Kosiah - 9
Glenn Claes - 10
Andres Labie - 16
Axl Van Himbeeck - 17
Edisson Jordanov - 24
Rayhan El Grafel - 44


Substitutes50 - René Vanden Borre
55 - Nicolas Thienpont
60 - Simon Bugea
65 - Briek Morel
66 - Viktor Vidarsson
70 - Jassim Mazouz
73 - Ali Donny Sylla
77 - Gyano Vanderdonck
80 - Briek Van Hoorick


SubstitutesXavier Gies - 1
Colin Dagba - 2
Brian Plat - 4
Sabri Guendouz - 19
Derrick Tshimanga - 26
Oscar Vargas - 41
Ensar Brahic - 45
Gyamfi Dennis - 76
Cyrill Khetir - 94


Cards Mohamed Soumah (53')



Cards Ayouba Kosiah (20')
Edisson Jordanov (78')
Ayouba Kosiah (86')

Substitutions60' - Ruslan Vydysh Jassim Mazouz
60' - Wout Asselman Gyano Vanderdonck
86' - El Hadji Seck Ali Donny Sylla
90' - Oleksandr Soroka Viktor Vidarsson
Substitutions46' - Ayouba Kosiah Cyrill Khetir
46' - Rayhan El Grafel Sabri Guendouz
73' - Rajiv Van La Parra Oscar Vargas
79' - Axl Van Himbeeck Ensar Brahic
83' - Edisson Jordanov Gyamfi Dennis
SubjectsJong Gent