The Player Analyst

A thrilling watch at The Stayen, as St Truidense beat Anderlecht by 2 goals to nil. A subtle finish by Keisuke Goto and a last minute strike from Ryan Merlen sealed the deal for the home side, whose excellent Pro League season just keeps getting better!

After a thoroughly entertaining first half, St. Truidense could be incredibly proud of their efforts. 60% possession and 10 shots only tells part of the story, as the home side absolutely dominated with fluid attacks and excellent passing play. Ito remained his usual self, being so tricky to handle one on one. Sebaoui and Goto were threatening, Goto hitting the post early on in the half. 

But the new man in the first 11, Kaito Matsuzawa, was particularly impressive. A confident dribbler and a forward-thinking winger, he has definitely caught the eye today, looking forward to keeping tabs on him. Midfield maestro Sissako concurred at half time that his team could have been 2-0 up by this point, all they needed now was the ball in the back of the net.

The second half began a bit more balanced, with Anderlecht creating more chances, even finishing the match with more shots than the victors, at 19 to 16. Bertaccini nearly grabbed the opener against his former side, with a snap-shot that rolled wide of the post. Cvetkovic too was very unlucky not to score, with Kokubo’s heroics keeping the score level. 

Just when a goal started to feel like it wasn’t meant to be, who else but Keisuke Goto, the man on loan from the visitors, to get the part started? St Truidense won their second ball as they do so well, Ito and Sissako combine on the right flank, the ball is whipped in and the Japanese striker pokes it past Coosemans, who is caught wrong-footed. 

From there, it was Anderlecht chasing and the home side countering. It was only at the 92nd minute that the game was truly sealed, as substitute Ryan Merlen wrapped up the game in style. Ilias Sebaoui carried the ball across the right wing, delivering it on a platter to Merlen, who shot home from the edge of the box. They got what they deserved!

Sour scenes at full-time, with Keisuke Goto’s celebrations against his parent club at the heart of it. Several Anderlecht players seemed infuriated by the striker’s actions, but once parties were separated, the home side could celebrate a historic win: their first over Anderlecht since 2018!