KV Mechelen lost a special friendly match against Karpaty Lviv on Saturday. The Ukrainian side secured a 2-3 victory during the Malinwa's Fanweekend event.
The match was organised by Foundation Mechelen in cooperation with the city. Proceeds from tickets and activities will support a centre in Lviv for survivors of captivity and torture, part of the UNBROKEN network. Karpaty coach Fran Fernández highlighted the significance of an uninterrupted game. "His team could play ninety minutes without such an interruption in Mechelen for the first time in a long while," he told VRT Nieuws beforehand. In Lviv, matches are frequently halted by air raid alerts.
On the pitch, Karpaty took the lead in the 25th minute through J. Sery. KV Mechelen equalised after the break with a goal from B. Boersma in the 54th minute. The visitors went ahead again, but M. Van Brederode levelled the score within a minute. The decisive 2-3 came in the 77th minute. KV Mechelen finished the match with ten men following a red card.
This friendly took place during a challenging league period for the club. KV Mechelen currently sit 18th in the Jupiler Pro League with just three points from seven games. The team is yet to record a single league win this season. Attention now turns to the next fixture, a home match against STVV on October 10th. The full schedule is available online, along with the current standings.
