KV Mechelen suffered another home defeat in the Jupiler Pro League on Saturday evening. A goal from Tawfik Bentayeb just before halftime was enough for Anderlecht to secure a 1-0 victory at Achter De Kazerne.
Wim De Decker's team could not find an answer to the visitors' defensive organisation. Despite a hopeful start and a couple of late chances, an equaliser never materialised. This defeat keeps KV Mechelen stuck in 15th place in the table, with just two points from five matches.
Late first-half strike
The only goal of the evening came in the 43rd minute. Ilias Koutsoupias, the only new face in Mechelen's starting lineup, provided the assist on a quick break. His cross was headed home by Tawfik Bentayeb, scoring his first goal for Anderlecht. It was a harsh blow for the hosts, who had kept the match fairly balanced until that point.
After the break, Mechelen tried to increase the pressure. Substitute Thibault Raman and later Gianluca Antonio had opportunities, but goalkeeper Colin Coosemans kept out their shots. Coosemans was also alert to deny an effort from Niklas Dorsch. The best chance for an equaliser came in the second minute of added time. A corner from Antonio led to a headed duel where keeper Coosemans punched the ball clear from the feet of a Mechelen player.
Penalty controversy
In the dying seconds, controversy arose. Gianluca Antonio went down in the penalty area under a challenge from the Zimbabwean defender. Referee Lawrence Visser, however, pointed to no penalty and blew for full-time immediately. Defender Jordi Vanlerberghe was booked for his protest. "Red and yellow want a penalty when Antonio goes down in the box," Vanlerberghe said afterwards. "But no, no, it's simply choosing to fall from the Zimbabwean."
Michez debut
A positive note for Mechelen was the debut of Simion Michez. The young midfielder came on and immediately showed some good touches. Alongside fellow newcomer Decherf, he is expected to add creativity to the side. The team held talks last week to improve performances after the heavy 4-0 loss to Westerlo. Defensively, there was improvement, but a solution for goal production is still needed. With five goals scored and thirteen conceded, Mechelen has the worst goal difference in the league.
The next assignment is an away match against Lommel United on 19 September. Lommel currently sits ninth. The full schedule and current league table can be found on our standings and fixtures pages. The squad for that match will likely be adjusted again, with the performances of Michez and Decherf being monitored. KV Mechelen has now lost two consecutive league matches and urgently needs points to climb away from the bottom places.
