LIVE CUP FINAL. Downer for Antwerp just before half time: Machida taps the corner kick against the ropes

Patrick Goots saw a balanced first half: “And once again Antwerp concedes a goal just before half time”’

Antwerp did not start the cup final with its well-known 4-2-3-1. “It was a flat 4-4-2, with Janssen and Kerk as a tandem up front,” says home analyst Patrick Goots. “Balikwisha caught Lapoussin along the right flank and Ekkelenkamp took over the left. Matazo and Keita played in the center. I don’t see Ejuke, who started on the bench, fitting into this system as a wing player.”

Kerk, who played second fiddle for almost the entire season, was suddenly allowed to start in the final. “And he really made a good impression. Best man in Antwerp,” said Goots after half an hour. “Van Den Bosch also made a sharp impression on ‘the visitors’. But Antwerp had a hard time against Union in the first ten minutes, which put a lot of pressure. Antwerp therefore fell back deeply when it did not have the ball.”

Who made the best impression according to Patje Boem Boem? “Then Union. They are stronger than Antwerp in possession of the ball. They pass the ball well and have a lot of technical ingenuity in the team. RAFC looks for depth as quickly as possible with long balls and Janssen and Kerk do not always have an easy time with that. But: the Antwerp organization is on solid footing and therefore they hardly gave anything away. To give points: 55-45 in favor of Union,” Goots said after 45 minutes.

And then the added time came… in which Machida made it 1-0. “Again just before half time or again at a crucial moment! That has happened to Antwerp many times in the play-offs. And again on a stationary phase. It also happened to them at Club Brugge and at home against Genk.”

“Antwerp will now have to find more forward momentum in the second half. And that plays into the hands of Union, which is an excellent counter team. It should not open everything up at the back, because a second goal is fatal.”