“Aiham Ousou breaks the deadlock after Charleroi's sustained pressure from a corner sequence. A blocked Bernier shot and a saved Romsaas header had kept Mechelen alive briefly, but Ousou finally found the net to make it 1-0.”
Pivotal“Kevin Van Den Kerkhof doubles Charleroi's lead with a right-footed finish from a corner, assisted by fellow substitute Antoine Colassin, sealing a comfortable 2-0 win with barely ten minutes remaining.”
Pivotal
Sporting Charleroi
Mechelen
Outstanding performance
Sporting Charleroi•DefenderSporting Charleroi were the better side from start to finish, controlling 60% of possession and generating 12 shots to Mechelen's five in a performance that was professional if not spectacular. The opener arrived at 35 minutes through Aiham Ousou, set up by a spell of sustained pressure that included a blocked shot from Antoine Bernier and a saved effort from Jakob Napoleon Romsaas off a corner — Charleroi's persistence eventually breaking through. Mechelen never truly threatened, registering zero shots on target and relying entirely on goalkeeper saves to keep the deficit at one going into the final quarter. A raft of second-half substitutions disrupted Charleroi's rhythm momentarily, but it was one of those substitutes, Antoine Colassin, who immediately made his mark by teeing up Van Den Kerkhof from a corner in the 77th minute to end the contest. With three big chances created and a dominant 65-47 territorial edge, Charleroi deserved this win comfortably — a statement of intent early in a Pro League campaign where their title ambitions appear very much alive. For Mechelen, a blank scoresheet and zero shots on target represent a sobering afternoon and questions to answer.
How entertaining was this match?
Bilal Bafdili takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Kevin Van Den Kerkhof takes a shot with his right foot and scores.
assist: Antoine Colassin
Goal! Kevin Van Den Kerkhof scores to make it 2-0, assisted by Antoine Colassin.
Kevin Van Den Kerkhof takes a shot with his right foot and scores.
Goal! Kevin Van Den Kerkhof scores to make it 2-0, assisted by Antoine Colassin.
Corner awarded.
Therence Koudou takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Corner awarded.
Adeshina Ayodele comes on for Benito Raman.
Substitution: Bilal Bafdili comes on for Malcolm Lohunanu-Mbasi.
Freddy Mbemba is on, and Patrick Pflucke is off.
Amine Boukamir takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Benito Raman takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Benito Raman takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Mardochee Nzita takes a right-footed shot, but it's blocked.
First half ends with a score of 1-0.
Aurelien Scheidler misses with a left-footed shot.
Aiham Ousou Aiham Ousou takes a shot with his head and scores.
Goal! The score is now 1-0.
assist: Patrick Pflücke
Goal! The score is now 1-0.
Jakob Napoleon Romsaas takes a right-footed shot, but it's saved.
Corner awarded.
Antoine Bernier takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Antoine Bernier takes a right-footed shot, but it's blocked.
Corner awarded.
Aiham Ousou attempts a header but misses the shot.
Kick-off! The referee is Jan Boterberg.
