Standard did not start 2023 in the Jupiler Pro League with a defeat. The Rouches fell behind STVV on the hour after a goal from Daichi Hayashi and had to wait until the 92nd minute for a goal. Stipe Perica saved a point for his own people: 1-1.
Due to the departure of Christian Brüls, Bernd Hollerbach threw youngster Matte Smets for the lions in midfield at STVV. Al-Dakhil returned to the eleven after flu knocked him out against Zulte Waregem a week earlier. No Cimirot with the Rouches, Alzate was preferred by coach Deila. The first loud applause of the evening was for Eric Gerets. The club icon kicked off Sclessin. The lamented Pelé also got his hands together.
Ferocious Hollerbach
In the early stages of the game it quickly became clear that STVV played without a real number ten. Okazaki played lower in the field, so that the Canaries acted next to each other in the middle with Smets, Boya and Okazaki with three men. Smets appeared to suffer little from stress. The first shot between the posts came from his right, Bodart admittedly had little trouble. STVV felt like a new stunt, Standard also allowed the visitors to make the game in the opening phase. Imposed by coach Deila, who knows best that STVV prefers not to keep the ball in the team all the time.
Photo: Dick Demey
Soon a ferocious Bernd Hollerbach on the sidelines. After all, Bokadi treated Hayashi to a big push. The movement even seemed to involve an elbow, but ref Van Damme did not react. The STVV coach was quickly told to calm down, especially when he reacted angrily again because Dussenne – Hollerbach’s stronghold at Mouscron at the time – knocked down Hayashi a few seconds later.
No off side
Balikwisha and Bokadi scored for the first time after a corner. From the second quarter, Standard STVV even firmly secured in its own half. Sint-Truiden missed a point and handled the long ball, reaching Hayashi was extremely difficult. Laifis headed just over Schmidt’s goal when Leistner gave away a free kick. Furthermore, only some picking balls for Schmidt. So the game drifted into halftime. Only Okazaki had a hard time on the left against Balikwisha, STVV did not budge.
Photo: Dick Demey
After coffee the same game image, although Standard tried to increase the pressure steadily. Supported by the twelfth man, that also succeeded, but once in sixteen from STVV the last pass was missing. Schmidt was unaffected. On Bodart’s side, it was actually Hayashi who was able to score after a counterattack. Bruno cracked his shot, the Japanese kicked in. Offside, or so all of Sclessin expected. Not so, the VAR judged correctly, because Bokadi had clearly stuck with Standard. 0-1 STVV!
Standard pushed, but the Rouches lacked the creativity to trick strong bear Toni Leistner. Schmidt applauded his defense to keep warm, meanwhile looking forward to a second good shot from STVV. Bruno lay in wait, the striker unfortunately found no companion. Deila supped up all his bills to turn the tide. At one point, the equalizer seemed imminent. The ball came in front of Ohio’s left and whizzed wide. The Truiense stunt seemed to be in the making, until Bauer let himself be beaten by Canak. Perica was just fast enough to put the cross in deep in injury time: 1-1.
