Friday, July 28
On the first matchday of the 2023-2024 season, Anderlecht and Union played out the Brussels derby. Union won 2-0 in the process, through goals by Eckert Ayensa and Puertas. A weak Anderlecht allowed their fellow Brussels team to create a lot of chances, so a goal was bound to fall in the end. According to data agency Opta, Union are the most likely to win the title this year. Their chances are calculated at around 32.4% , while title holder Antwerp follows with 31.2%.
Saturday, July 29
On Saturday RWDM and KRC Genk faced each other. In this, RWDM was overcome by Genk 0-4. It was the Brussels team’s first time in the Belgian top division after 21 years. Although RWDM did manage to create chances, Genk proved to be the better team. Genk are also currently top of the rankings because of their high goal difference. They are happy with this victory, and thus already start the new season with a small lead. But they also notice that they can improve; as evidenced by the actions that allowed RWDM to break through the Genk defence several times.
The other two games on Saturday, Charleroi-OHL and Eupen-Westerlo, saw the 90 minutes end in a draw. At Charleroi, things got tense for a while when referee Verboomen drew the red card, and then again when he put the ball on the spot after an alleged penalty kick error. The Zebras clearly showed their displeasure. In Eupen, the match was more peaceful. Westerlo still managed to grab a point in the first minute of added time via a corner kick.
Sunday 30 July
At the Bosuil, they started the league with a moderate win against Cercle Brugge. It was a very even contest, with two teams alternately taking the upper hand and showing fine things. Just before half-time, Ondrejka broke through one last time and tried to offer Kerk the ball, but it was Daland who tapped the ball behind his own goalkeeper. Antwerp limited themselves in the second half to maintaining their lead. The national champions satisfied themselves with a thrifty win against the Association. By doing so, they are saving energy for a potentially very difficult season.
For Gent, it was the first time since 2012 that they were able to win another opening match of the league. Kortrijk came back and forced another 3-2, but Gent did take the three points.
Furthermore, Mechelen played a draw on the Club Brugge pitch. The ambitious Club Brugge wants to compete for the national title again, but played a mediocre game against the Mechelen club. The latter, by the way, were not pleased with the verdict of VAR: it gave a questionable penalty kick for Club Brugge after an hour of play. The equaliser also fell from that phase.
The last two teams to face each other were STVV and Standard. What was a missed start for Standard was a fine win for STVV. Although the two teams kept each other in balance, it was STVV player Aboubakary Koita who was the only one to push the ball against the nets.
