Super Mario saves Anderlecht with late winner against Sint-Truiden | OneFootball

It is safe to say that there wasn’t much excitement on Saturday in the Belgian Pro League. After two 0-0 draws between Dender/Union and Beerschot/OH Leuven, Anderlecht and Sint-Truiden looked like they were about to give us an opening Saturday without any goals. However, the Mauves found a spark late on when Mario Stroeykens struck late to make Anderlecht the only side with three points so far.

In a game that felt like a throwback to COVID times without any fans, the lack of atmosphere made the game difficult to watch at times. Sint-Truiden, under their new head coach Christian Lattanzio, were without a number of key players who are part of the Japanese Olympic squad. Youngsters Adam Nhaili and Alouis Diriken were given run-outs as a result. There was also a start for David Mindombe, his first appearance since returning on loan from OH Leuven’s second team in 2023.

Anderlecht also looked make-shift, with only Jan Vertonghen as the recognised central defender. With multiple players playing out of position, they were unable to make the breakthrough until the 92nd minute. Despite being one of the sides best players last season. Stroeykens had to settle for a place on the bench. He replaced Majeed Ashimeru after 77 minutes, and when Jo Coppens and the Canaries defence failed to deal with a ball into the box, he was able to smash home to make it 1-0 to Anderlecht and grab the three points.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson