The Comedy of Errors: Standard’s 5-0 Humbling at La Gantoise
Well, well, well… If you thought you’d seen everything in football, you clearly didn’t catch Standard Liège’s recent performance against La Gantoise. Spoiler alert: it was like watching a group of toddlers try to play chess. A strategic nightmare and a colossal 5-0 defeat. That’s right, folks—5-0! What’s next? A game of hopscotch on the pitch? Honestly, it can’t be worse than what we witnessed.
The Setup: A Prelude to Disaster
Standard rolled into Ghent with the kind of swagger usually reserved for a catwalk model. Despite their recent home win, history wasn’t on their side—an alarming 8 defeats in the last 9 matches on the road? That’s more concerning than a clown at a child’s birthday party.
Ivan Leko had grand plans. He wanted to field the same team that triumphed against Saint-Truiden; however, illness struck the squad like a bad cold after a night out. Henry Lawrence was out, and in came Alexandro Calut, who hadn’t seen a starting position in the league for two years. Ah yes, because nothing instills confidence like a player who’s basically been in witness protection from the starting XI.
The Gantoise: More Bite Than Bark
And boy, did La Gantoise show up ready to bite! The crowd greeted their players with smoke bombs; it was like a rave in the stands as they implored their team to channel their inner beasts.
But within minutes, Standard’s Matthieu Epolo was already earning his keep with a double save. Alas, he couldn’t stop the inevitable. The first goal came from Watanabe, and suddenly, it resembled a scene from a horror movie: Standard became the sacrificial lambs, and every missed opportunity felt like another “jump scare.”
Despite some glimmers of hope from Standard, Daniel Schmidt, who’s probably still reveling in joy after becoming a father (congratulations!), denied them not once, but multiple times. I mean, the man resembles a brick wall adorned with a glowing “Don’t Score Here” sign!
Falling Apart Faster Than a IKEA Assembly
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, enter Noah Fadiga collapsing late in the first half! It had more drama than an episode of EastEnders. A stretcher was involved, and if you squinted hard enough, you might have seen Archie Brown praying for a miracle. Spoiler alert, folks: it didn’t work.
As if scripted by a bad sitcom writer, Standard found themselves 2-0 down just before half-time, courtesy of a thunderous strike from Max Dean, placing them in the kind of despair usually reserved for a reality show contestant losing their way home.
And if you thought it couldn’t spiral further, hold on to your hats! After halftime, a corner led to yet another goal—a third for La Gantoise—prompting every Standard fan to mumble something along the lines of, “Maybe we should’ve taken up tennis?”
End of the Final Act
The final act exposed all the cracks in Standard’s defense as La Gantoise continued to press, eventually racking up to a shameful 5-0. It was like watching a bad magician reveal every single trick before your eyes. Standard had the chance to break into the top six, but now they look set for a long, dark tunnel of reflection—with no light in sight.
So, what’s the takeaway here? If you’re a Standard fan, perhaps pour yourself a drink and cry into it, because this was one for the books. A performance that may not go down in history as a sporting highlight but will likely be featured in a stand-up routine somewhere!
Until next time, keep your expectations low and your laughs high. Cheers!
Standard lost 5-0 at La Gantoise. A very worrying new performance outside.
After winning again at home last weekend, Standard looked to continue away. But the task did not look easy: because even if Ghent has not been in good shape in recent weeks, the trip to the Buffalos has not been good for Liégeois for several years (8 defeats in the last 9 matches, last victory in 2019).
For this meeting, Ivan Leko wanted to field the same team as the victorious Saint-Truiden but ultimately had to replace Henry Lawrence, who was ill, with Alexandro Calut, who had not started a championship match for two years.
The Gantoise much more biting
The visiting supporters welcomed their players with smoke bombs to set the tone, as if to push the team to display the same rage to win as in Sclessin. It started off very badly. After four minutes, Matthieu Epolo already had to work. On the corner that followed, his double save was not enough to prevent Watanabe from opening the scoring for Ghent.
Ivan Leko’s troops reacted by obtaining several opportunities, but Daniel Schmidt (who replaced Davy Roef, now a father) prevented Bosko Sutalo then Andi Zeqiri from equalizing. Before this famous duel between Calut and Noah Fadiga.
© photonews
The Liégeois initially seemed the most affected, but it was Fadiga who collapsed late. Enough to cause panic at the edge of the field, in both camps. Zeqiri notably took a stretcher from the hands of local rescuers to go faster while Archie Brown began to pray. Fadiga finally got up but went straight to the hospital for tests.
The game has therefore resumed, but it is indeed the Standard who was unable to remobilize. Just before the break, La Gantoise made the break with a superb strike from Max Dean, who took advantage of the passivity of the Liège defense to allow himself a confident move on the edge of the rectangle (42nd, 2-0) .
© photonews
Groggy, the Rouches definitely left the meeting. Even the rest didn’t change anything, Archie Brown scoring the 3-0 from a corner, once again taking advantage of the opponent’s lack of responsiveness on a second ball from a corner.
Lack of confidence in recent weeks, La Gantoise has made a point of continuing to push, chaining together opportunities. The score thus rose to 4-0 at the hour mark: on a catastrophic recovery from Souleyman Doumbia (who replaced Calut at rest), Momodou Sonko collided with Epolo then the crossbar, but Max Dean followed well to score a double.
The people of Ghent did not need to force themselves in the last quarter of an hour, Standard even conceded a fifth and final goal following an error by Matthieu Epolo in added time. The Rouches would have spent the break in the top 6 in the event of a victory, the next few days on the contrary promise to be very long.
**Interview with Sports Analyst, Alex Johnson on Standard Liège’s 5-0 Defeat at La Gantoise**
**Editor:** Thank you for joining us today, Alex. That was quite the match, wasn’t it? Standard Liège losing 5-0 against La Gantoise—how do you summarize that performance?
**Alex Johnson:** Thank you for having me! It was indeed a shocking performance, to say the least. Watching Standard play was like watching a trainwreck in slow motion; you just couldn’t look away. Their defensive lapses and lack of cohesion were painfully evident throughout the match.
**Editor:** They came into the game with some level of confidence after a home victory. What went wrong for them?
**Alex Johnson:** The setup was flawed from the start. Coach Ivan Leko’s plan to stick with a winning team was disrupted by illness. Bringing in Alexandro Calut, who hadn’t played in two years, was quite a gamble. When Standard faced a team eager to capitalize on every weakness, it was clear they were in trouble. The early goal from La Gantoise set the tone, and from there, they never truly recovered.
**Editor:** On the other hand, La Gantoise seemed to thrive in that environment. What did they do right?
**Alex Johnson:** Their approach was aggressive right from the kick-off. The home crowd was electric with the smoke bombs and chants, which only fueled their players. They pressed hard and took advantage of Standard’s defensive disarray. Their midfield dominated the game, and the forwards capitalized on Standard’s mistakes effectively.
**Editor:** The game also saw some dramatic moments, including Noah Fadiga’s injury. How do you think such incidents impact a team’s morale?
**Alex Johnson:** Absolutely pivotal. An injury like that, especially during a match that was already going poorly, can shatter a team’s spirit. It creates confusion and can lower morale. In Standard’s case, it compounded their woes and left them feeling even more disheartened.
**Editor:** With this defeat, what does the future hold for Standard Liège?
**Alex Johnson:** Well, they need some serious soul-searching. This match exposed fundamental issues within the squad, particularly in defense and leadership on the pitch. They’re at risk of sliding further down the table if they can’t address these problems quickly. It’s likely they will need to rebuild their confidence in the upcoming matches.
**Editor:** A rough road ahead then. Before we wrap up, any final thoughts on how fans should approach the rest of the season?
**Alex Johnson:** If you’re a Standard fan, it might be time to manage expectations. Embrace your support for the team but do so with a dose of realism. This season could be more about developing a strong foundation for the future than immediate success. Cheers to patience and loyalty in times of struggle!
**Editor:** Thank you, Alex. We appreciate your insights on this tough situation for Standard Liège.
**Alex Johnson:** Anytime! Let’s hope for better days ahead for them.
