Standard Liege and Oguchi Onyewu go into the Christmas break as Jupiler League leaders after their 2-0 defeat of cellar dwellers Lierse.
Karel Geraerts hit the back of the net seven minutes before the intermission and Mohammed Tchite added on late to guarantee that Les Rouches didn't travel north for anything less than three points.
Anderlecht regained first place earlier in the afternoon although they could only muster a point from lowly La Louviere, making the Liege victory all the more important at the midway point of the season.
Less than a minute in, Almani Da Silva Moreira was felled near midfield and lined up to take his own free kick. In search of Tchite in the box, the Portuguese midfielder lofted the attempt much too high for the Jupiler League's top scorer, but Lierse keeper Yves van der Straeten bobbled the catch and almost gift the visitors an early lead.
The first Lierse attempt came minutes later from a Stef Wils free kick that was well struck, but sailed over Verdan Runje's crossbar.
The hosts settled in first and started pressing ten minutes into the game, working the ball up both sides of the field, but were unable to get past Les Rouches' defense, despite the fancy footwork and nice passing of Adolph Tohoua.
At the 12-minute mark, Standard went on the attack as an Eric Deflandre long ball picked out Sergio Conceição heading up the right wing. The journeyman slid the ball into the box for Moreira, who should have done better with his effort. To van der Straeten's relief, it went well wide.
With both teams sharing the possession, it was Les Rouches who had the next best opportunity at getting onto the scoresheet with Moreira again involved in the action.
Though his precise pass for Tchite was well struck on goal by the Congo international, Lierse defender Adolph Tohoua blocked the attempt with van der Straeten stranded.
On the counter three minutes later, Timothy Dreesen found himself 25 yards out to the right of the box. The Belgian teenager was overzealous, however, and shot from distance when dribbling in on goal would have been the better decision.
Almost immediately Lierse had the ball back and at the feet of Tohoua, who from ten yards out, thumped a blast on frame only to see Onyewu smother the ball.
A well saved 20-yard Deflandre free kick was followed by successive attempts on goal by Lierse in the 32nd and 33rd minutes. Goran Mujanovic sailed his attempt inches over before Dragan Mradja saw a heavy first touch elude him inside the box as an advancing Runje claimed at his feet.
Moments later, Conceição served in a wormburner into the box for Tchite. But instead of a shot, the forward dummied the pass letting it run for Geraerts who, somewhat surprised, was unable to get a touch before van der Straeten claimed.
In the 38th minute, Geraerts made amends for his inattentiveness.
From a Conceição corner, the blonde Belgian eluded his marker in the box and powered home the Portuguese serve and Standard was ahead in the last meaningful action of the first half.
Five minutes after the half, Standard defender Philippe Léonard hauled down Mujanovic just outside the area. The resulting free kick from Daniel Cruz was volleyed by Ninoslav Milenkovic just wide of a stunned Runje.
Soon after, Cruz was again involved in the action when his pass up the left wing found Tony Vairelles. The veteran Frenchman would clown a bewildered Deflandre before taking a sharp angle shot that nearly beat Runje with an awkward bounce.
The play would then become an increasingly dull affair, with the home side seemingly avoiding the central defense and concentrating their attacking efforts up the wings. On the hour mark, Onyewu was called upon to head clear a dangerous Cruz cross.
It wasn't until the 89th minute that Liege stuck the fork in Lierse when the league's most prolific scorer added to his total.
Christian Negouai gathered a deflected pass in his own half and picked out Tchite sprinting downfield. As van der Straeten advanced, the Rouches striker composed himself and slotted home to ensure all three points.
"Games like these are the most difficult games to play, because they have nothing to lose," Onyewu told YA post-match. "In the beginning, it was difficult to adjust to the field because it was so bad, but once we calmed down and got our first goal everything went alright."
"I think we played well defensively," the American added. "They didn't pose much of a threat in the 18 the whole game."
With the first half of the league season behind them, Standard host Germinal Beerschot in a Belgian Cup game Wednesday night at the Sclessin, before beginning their winter break. Jupiler League action recommences on January 21st when Standard host Zulte-Waregem. |
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