All good songs come to an end. After nine wins in a row, Antwerp has lost its first points of the season. What’s more, it immediately lost at KV Kortrijk. With the best regards from wild water Didier Lamkel Zé.
Kortrijk – Antwerp in a nutshell
- Key moment: Lamkel Zé sows chaos in the Golden Spurs Stadium. Antwerp loses itself in peripheral matters and irritation, but Kortrijk continues to play football with focus. Selemani acts quickly and skillfully and puts the home team at 2-0. That turns out to be enough.
- Man of the Match: You simply can’t get around him. Didier Lamkel Zé may not have been the best man in the game, but with his crazy personality he had the biggest influence on the result. Although we must not forget his assist in the 1-0.
- Remarkable: Antwerp came to Kortrijk with a perfect report, which hadn’t even scored at home this season. The Guys last won at home on February 19. Typical that those two series are just now being broken off.
Show by Lamkel Zé helps Kortrijk
Custovic put down a redesigned Kortrijk after the international break, while Nainggolan got the chance to play in Van Bommel’s favor at Antwerp. The Ninja didn’t grab them. It was the home side that grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, with two chances for Avenatti.
The visitors, confident after their 27 out of 27, seemed to take over after that. Miyoshi scorched Ilic’s fingers and Janssen was caught twice in one phase in the nick of time. Then there was the sudden outbreak of KVK with two ex-Antwerp residents in the leading role. Lamkel Zé served Avenatti for 1-0 and started jeering the fans of Antwerp, who had been booing him for quite some time.
The wacky Cameroonian continued to stir things up with his antics and defiance, and the visiting supporters responded by throwing beer cups. It only worked as a distraction for their own defenders, who couldn’t keep the shrewd Selemani from making the 2-0.
Inspirationless Antwerp only scores with a penalty
In the second half it never looked like Antwerp would be able to wipe out the double deficit. A blow from substitute Ekkelenkamp against the back of teammate Gerkens was typical. Bataille even accidentally hit the head of a child in the stands.
Kortrijk’s game plan, meanwhile, worked wonderfully. There was a free kick from Selemani and a slide in front of Sytsj. In between, Lamkel Zé missed another dot of an opportunity to make it a legendary evening.
De Laet decorated a penalty in the end for a frustrated Antwerp. Janssen’s angry kick brought the tension back for a while, but Kortrijk did not give away his first home win of the season.
D’Haene: “Lamkel Zé put everyone on edge”
There was a beaming Kristof D’Haene in front of the microphone of Eleven Sports. “We have brought beautiful and attacking football, as befits Kortrijk. If you can beat the leader, that is fantastic.”
The KVK captain picked a few stars. “I respect the whole team, but Selemani, that’s something else. If he’s in front of you… I don’t understand that he’s still with Kortrijk, but I’m happy about it. Avenatti too, against his ex team, that’s wonderful.”
And Lamkel Ze? “He was calm, sensible. A bit challenging, but that is part of football. He is a good boy, believe me. And on the field he is a top player. He put everyone on edge this week. How? if I keep that private,” D’Haene laughed.
Janssen: “The problem lay with us”
Vincent Janssen accepted the first defeat of Antwerp. “It had to happen, but it’s a shame. It’s a shame you can’t keep that good feeling after the international match. That’s football. We have to be back on Friday.”
“The problem was that we didn’t make the 1-0. That 2-0 just before half-time, that was very difficult to get over. At a certain point it becomes a little more long balls and a little less football. maybe crazy to say, but this wasn’t our worst game,” said the striker.
Janssen received no compliment for Kortrijk on his lips. “The problem was with us. We let them come into the game. I think it’s two counters. It wasn’t that they played very well.”
