Match Report
3 points for Mechelen (17th), 10 for Westerlo (8th): a 7-point gap. Per game in the league, Mechelen were scoring 0.71 and conceding 2, Westerlo 2.14 and 2.29, against a competition average of 1.47 goals per team per game.
8 games without a win framed Mechelen's arrival. Westerlo's winless run stood at 6.
The head-to-head ledger counts 29 games: 14 Mechelen wins, 7 for Westerlo, 8 draws, at 3.45 goals per meeting. Home advantage has meant little here: 38% of the meetings went to the host. In 72% of the meetings, both sides found the net. Goals have dried up lately: 2.4 per game across the last five meetings, against 3.45 across the full history.
L. D'hondt officiated: 75 games logged, averaging 1.9 yellow cards each. The match was played at Achter de Kazerne (capacity 16,672). Half-time and full-time told different stories: Westerlo led 2-0 at the break, before 2 more goals closed it at 0-4.
Goal scorers
Westerlo: Isa Sakamoto (7'), Shunsuke Saito (27'), Shunsuke Saito (67'), Nikola Storm (88')
Key stats
Possession: Mechelen 56% · Westerlo 44% · Total shots: 8-21 · On target: 1-6 · Corners: 5-6