In the first home match of the Europe Play-Offs, our Kemphanen hosted KAA Gent. The Buffalos proudly sat atop the standings of this playoff and delivered a strong performance against Standard de Liège last weekend. KVCW, on the other hand, aimed to secure their first points in this Play-Off campaign in front of their home crowd.

KVC Westerlo Lineup: S. Bolat, B. Haidara, D. Haspolat (62′ A. Piedfort), N. Madsen, M. Frigan (71′ K. Vaesen), R. Vermant (71′ L. Stassin), G. Yow (62′ J. Alcocer), B. Reynolds, R. Tagir, T. Rommens, A. Sayyadmanesh (46′ R. Neustädter)

First Half

While chants from the supporters flowed smoothly from the stands, the attacking waves took a bit longer to materialize. In a conservative opening phase, it was Roef who had to warm up his gloves first on a header from Frigan. On the other end, Bolat did the same on a shot from De Sart.

A goal just before the midway point of the first half broke the deadlock. Just like in the regular season in Ghent, Omri Gandelman once again played the villain. Two minutes later, Tissoudali followed suit, and the score became 0-2.

An unfortunate expulsion of Bakary Haidara after a second yellow card didn’t make the task easier for our Kemphanen. Our yellow shirts tried to salvage a consolation goal before halftime with some quick counterattacks, led by Sayyadmanesh among others, but it was mainly the Buffalos who came closest to scoring, with a shot hitting the crossbar from Fernandez-Pardo.

Second Half

Throughout the second half, Bart Goor introduced some new names to the team in an attempt to turn the tide, but it was mainly a man who was active in the first half who stood out. With a superb clearance, Bolat first prevented Gandelman from scoring the 0-3 shortly after halftime, then he stopped Tissoudali with an air displacement after a VAR intervention punished him for his dive with a yellow card.

However, an industrious Gandelman continued to seek further extension of the scoreline. A stretched leg from Rommens and another save from Bolat initially thwarted that mission, but in injury time, the Israeli still managed to find the back of the net.

A keen Stassin came on in search of a late consolation goal, but he was denied by Roef. Thus, our Kemphanen continue to search for their first three points in this playoff.

Report: Glen Van Herck
Photos: Tg/Photo News