Leader RSC Anderlecht had to visit Beerschot AC as part of the 23rd matchday of the Jupiler Pro League on Saturday 28th January 2012. The team from Brussels got stuck at a 0-0 draw at the Olympic Stadium.

Anderlecht coach Ariël Jacobs started with the same eleven players who beat KAA Ghent on Tuesday. For Beerschot, two former Purple & White players were present: Hernan Losada and Sherjill MacDonald.

Sporting started well and almost scored the 0-1 after five minutes of play, but Guillaume Gillet just missed from up close after a corner. Beerschot tried to push through via Losada and MacDonald, but Silvio Proto was not really threatened. On the other side, Dieumerci Mbokani provided a nice action and reached Milan Jovanovic, but the Serbian’s shot was averted by Beerschot goalie Pacovski. In the final minutes of the first half MacDonald almost put in the 1-0: Anderlecht goalie Silvio Proto was beaten, but the Beerschot striker’s shot hit the far post. The final action in those first 45 minutes was one created by the visitors. Lucas Biglia passed the ball to Guillaume Gillet, but the native from Liège had to swerve and because of this, Pacovski made an easy save.

At the start of the first half, Beerschot AC were closest to scoring the opening goal. Losada pushed through on the wing and reached MacDonald in front of the Purple & White goal, but Proto made the save with a nice foot reflex. A few minutes later on, Anderlecht were awarded a free kick after a foul against Jovanovic, but Marcin Wasilewski’s shot only just went long. The home team, however, remained the most dangerous team and Roland Juhasz had to make a save on a shot by Dayan. On the other side, Milan Jovanovic often tried to reach Dieumerci Mbokani’s head, but the striker was not able to score with those headers. In the final ten minutes Anderlecht took control of the game again, but they were not able to score. A cross by Behrang Safari reached Guillaume Gillet, but his header hit Pacovski and Roland Juhasz’ attempt went wide.

Anderlecht, then, have to manage with only one point. The next Sporting match will take place at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium on Sunday 5th February 2012 at 2.30 p.m. Opponent will be national champion KRC Genk.