Mathematically, Eupen can still end up as a play-off at the end of the year. Zulte Waregem has for its part found colors.
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Zulte Waregem (29 points before kick-off) and Eupen (who had 31) were in the same situation, with the same ambition: you have to take points to leave Beerschot and RFC Seraing far behind. Unfortunately for the Pandas, it is without Prevljak, without Ngoy and without Rocha that they move to the other end of Belgium.
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Worse still, it only takes a few minutes for Dompé to send a cross (deflected) towards Ciranni absolutely alone in the rectangle for the opener (11 ‘, 1-0). This goal has the effect of waking up Eupen, who will get a few chances, still via Nuhu, but without really putting Bossut in difficulty. Just before the break (yes already), the referee Mr Put whistles a penalty for Eupen for a non-existent hand from Boya. The VAR intervenes, everything is cancelled, everyone goes back to the locker room.
And following the break…a good quarter of an hour of absolute nothingness, in one camp and the other. You have to wait for the hour mark and see Jean-Luc Dompé go forward, try his luck and see his shot deceive Nurudeen via a deflection from Agbadou (60, 2-0). In the followingmath, Vossen shoots from midfield, but the Pandas goalkeeper deflects on his bar.
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The end of the match was a long way of the cross for Eupen, who tried to come back but failed to prove dangerous. On the counterattacks, however, the Flandriens are always dangerous. Nuhu, still just as dangerous but still just as ineffective, misses a 5-star opportunity. In the last minutes, Nurudeen (out of his mind as often) comes out clumsily and hits Pletunckx (and Agbadou who has to go out): the referee whistles the penalty, Vossen gives the old Stade Arc-En-Ciel a breath of fresh air (83′, 3- 0).
In the end, Eupen bows and now finds himself in 16th place, 7 points ahead of Seraing who plays Sunday at Standard. It would take several Steelworker victories for Eupen to find the second of D1B in a few weeks, so there is not (yet) panic on board. But we still feel that a whole group will be reassured when all this is mathematically more reassuring.