In the last home match before the winter break, our Kemphanen welcomed RWDM. The visitors were positioned just above yellow-blue in the standings, but with a new three-pointer, our Kemphanen could leapfrog the Brussels team. There was no time or place for Christmas gifts on Boxing Day. A spirited Kuipje hoped for a continuation of KVCW’s strong performance against Antwerp.

KVC Westerlo Lineup: S. Bolat, J. Bos, N. Madsen, K. Vaesen, S. Sydorchuk, G. Yow, B. Reynolds (90′ E. Jordanov), R. Tagir (46′ E. Bayram), R. Neustädter, T. Van Den Keybus (85′ L. Stassin), A. Piedfort (92′ L. Van Eenoo)

First Half

And all together, giving it their all in the last match of 2023. The entire Westel Circle was summoned for this year-end closing to provide extra support to our Kemphanen. This quickly resulted in pressure from KVCW, with Van Den Keybus taking the first shot of the match after 7 minutes.

Just before the quarter-hour mark, his fellow winger on the right also fired his first shot on goal. And with success. Yow took advantage of a clumsy clearance by the RWDM defense and nailed the 1-0 into the net.

The American dynamo remained a torment for the visiting defense throughout the first half. He played a role in several chances for our Kemphanen, both as a provider and a sharpshooter, but De Mil’s men couldn’t further extend the lead.

Just before halftime, RWDM also had a moment. A lively Gueye was stopped by a sharp tackle from Tagir, and not much later, the Brussels striker found Bolat in his way. A clever lob from Mercier in extra time did get past the Turkish goalkeeper but also landed beside the goal. Thus, our Kemphanen went into halftime with a deserved lead.

Second Half

The first few minutes after the break continued the same pattern as before halftime. RWDM came out of the dressing room eager and attacked Bolat’s goal three times. However, the latter was never in trouble.

This signaled Westerlo to quickly regain control of the game. With the first threat, Vaesen seemed to double the score immediately, but his header goal was disallowed for offside.

It was just a delay of execution, as it turned out because ten minutes later, the doubling was a reality. A swift Reynolds was fouled in the box, and the VAR took notice. Madsen once again demonstrated his composure from the penalty spot, scoring his eighth of the season.

RWDM had to endure more hardship afterward. First, a red card was shown to goalkeeper Defourny for handling the ball outside the box, and later, Théo Gécé inadvertently directed the ball into his own net.

Westerlo comfortably saw out the match. The final whistle of 2023 was accompanied by loud chants from the stands. While ’t Kuipje prepared for another festive night, our Kemphanen climbed another spot in the standings.

Report: Glen Van Herck
Photos: Gvg/Photo News