On the first matchday of the Champions’ Play-offs, the Mauves traveled to Jan Breydel. In a game where RSCA struggled to create enough attacking threat, they lost the top clash against Club 2-0, marking the first match under new coach Besnik Hasi. Next Sunday, they will face Genk at Lotto Park.
The home team immediately made its intentions clear: a header from Christos Tzolis was pushed away in two attempts by Colin Coosemans for a corner. After 15 minutes, Club had more chances through Ardon Jashari and Ferran Jutglà. The Mauves' first real threat came in the 28th minute: Thorgan Hazard beautifully flicked the ball with his heel towards Kasper Dolberg, who fired over Simon Mignolet’s goal from a tight angle. Shortly after the half-hour mark, Jashari was given space to push forward. Coosemans stood firm on his shot and wasn’t caught off guard at his near post. On the resulting corner, Tzolis struck a loose ball, forcing the RSCA goalkeeper into a fine save, tipping the ball over. But it was only a matter of time: moments later, Tzolis stole the ball from Hazard and fired from the edge of the box. The Greek placed it unstoppably into the bottom right corner: 1-0 for the home side, ten minutes before halftime. In the 43rd minute, Jashari sent a long ball forward. Jutglà collided with Coosemans, who initially intercepted but then lost control of the ball. The Spaniard tapped it into the empty net, but after a VAR review, the goal was rightfully disallowed. Just before the break, Nilson Angulo tried his luck, but his shot sailed harmlessly wide. The teams went into halftime with a 1-0 scoreline.
At halftime, coach Besnik Hasi made three substitutions: Mario Stroeykens, Ludwig Augustinsson, and Jan-Carlo Simiç stayed in the dressing room, replaced by César Huerta, Samuel Edozie, and Adryelson. Club looked eager to maintain their momentum. In the 50th minute, a shot from Jutglà was parried by Colin. RSCA’s substitutes brought some energy to the game. Ten minutes into the second half, Huerta made his first impact, attempting to dribble past the defense and forcing a corner. Moments later, Edozie created a good opportunity on the left flank, delivering a low cross into the box. Mignolet intervened just in time, preventing the sliding Hazard from reaching the ball. At the hour mark, Tzolis escaped down the right wing. The Greek delivered a cross towards Jutglà, but Coosemans managed to intercept just in time. With a quarter of the match remaining, Luís Vázquez replaced Dolberg, but the change had little effect. Coosemans blocked a shot from Hans Vanaken straight into the path of Romeo Vermant, who calmly slotted it into the net: 2-0. Yari Verschaeren was given 15 minutes by Hasi, coming on for Ashimeru. With just over ten minutes left, Maxim De Cuyper struck the crossbar. At the other end, a shot from Edozie was blocked. In the final stages, RSCA tried to fight their way back into the game, but it didn’t lead to any real chances. Thus, RSCA starts the play-offs with a defeat at Jan Breydel.
Next Sunday, Hasi’s men will host league leaders KRC Genk at the Lotto Park.