Bruxelles, NOTRE ville
Union 1–0 RSC Anderlecht
30 January 2022 — Jupiler Pro League Matchday 25
Aaaand we’re back. It’s good to be home, and in comfort, with a well-deserved and important win on a strangely untroubling afternoon.
From four points out of six to seven out of nine in Union’s play-off rehearsal against last season’s top four — and it should not have been such plain sailing.
The truth was that Anderlecht were a disappointment; having had a sticky start (not least thanks to Union), Vincent Kompany’s team had impressed with some big wins (against Seraing and Beerschot) and a steady climb up the table. But they offered little threat in this match bar a free-kick, early in the second half, to which Anthony Moris responded magnificently with a flying save to his left.
Union, unchanged from Thursday night’s draw at Club Brugge and with a day’s less rest than Anderlecht (who lost at home on Wednesday to Cercle Brugge), were quickly into the game and took the lead on eleven minutes.
Teddy Teuma lined up an inswinging free-kick from the right, but as the defence retreated we squared the ball for Casper Nielsen to sidefoot the ball home from 25 yards, via a deflection. Another goal for the dynamic Dane, another good start for Union, and an extra notch raised on the volume at the Mariën.
In a first half of few chances, Moris was tested twice by shots from Anderlecht’s Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee, one with power and one that rolled tamely into the Luxembourger’s arms.
After the break, Union tested Hendrik Van Crombrugge early, with a long-range shot from Bart Nieuwkoop, and Anderlecht had their best chance, the aforementioned free-kick from Sergio Gómez that was brilliantly parried by Moris.
Union came closest to doubling the lead on 68 minutes, when Dante Vanzeir’s header hit the bar — the striker perhaps distracted by team-mate Siebe Van der Heyden lining up behind him to score.
Deniz Undav had one major chance but was quieter than usual and was substituted late on, giving new signing from Cercle Álex Millán a lively run-out. Cameron Puertas, having played a bit-part against Club, also got about ten minutes, replacing the impressive Lazare Amani (the man of the match).
The Ivorian, alongside Teuma, Nielsen and especially Loïc Lapoussin, had been tireless, both probing opportunities and keeping Anderlecht’s midfield under control.
Kompany tried to shake things up, but took off perhaps their most impressive midfielder, Yari Verschaeren, and both strikers. The decisions did not seem to go down well, and clearly did not work, as Anderlecht barely threatened in the last quarter of the match.
And so it was left to the children of late substitute Damien Marcq to provide the only remaining goals of the day, and some additional cheers. While there was always an underlying nervousness, derby wins are not meant to be quite so routine.
Seventy years since it was last achieved, Union had done the ‘double’ over Anderlecht, but most importantly, had retained a seven-point lead at the top.
