Sat 17 Aug 2019, 20:30
Waasland-Beveren Waasland-Beveren 0 - 4 KRC Genk KRC Genk

 “The players reacted well in practice this week,” coach Mazzu told before the game. “We didn't start the season will. The situation in Waasland-Beveren is similar. We need intensity in the duels and a good organisation to win this game. I saw those things in training. When we take the three points serenity will return.”

Mazzu made two changes in the starting line-up. Maehle and Hagi were benched. De Norre and Piotrowski replaced them.

Paintsil scores the opening goal.

The home team was under pressure from the off. Ito darted into the Waasland-Beveren area only to see his shot from a tight angle stopped bij keeper Gabriël. He deflected the ball into a corner. Shortly after, the story repeated itself. Again, Ito appeared in the area but this time Gabriël saved his cross in front of goal.

Genk kept setting the pace. A strike from the edge of the area flew over from Piotrowski. On fifteen minutes De Norre intercepted bad defending by Schryvers and launched Ito. Samatta couldn't climb high enough to head his cross home.

After a good twenty minutes Paintsil broke the deadlock. And again Ito was at the base of it. From the touch line he pulled the bal back for Paintsil to fumble it in with his head/knee/shoulder (we were unable to determine which bodypart he used). That was the only highlight in an otherwise pretty uneventful first half.

Samatta adds three more.

Straight after the interval Forte had the best opportunity for the hometeam. Vukotic played the ball in, Badibanga cunningly flicked it on with a backheeler but the Beveren attacker waited too long to put it in. The Genk defense managed to clear. One minute later the Blues doubled the score. Heynen took a free kick from the left and Samatta, who else, headed it in.

The hometeam was unable to react. Piotrowski aimed a free header over the bar. Shortly after Samatta sealed the game. De Norre provided the cross from the right, Paintsil headed it square from the far post and Samatta easily slotted it in.

With twenty minutes left on the clock the hometeam finally managed to create some real danger. While De Norre was off the pitch injured (Maehle would come on to replace him shortly after) Badibanga advanced. He took the shot but the ball shattered on the far post. In the rebound, Wiegel belted it wide. On the opposite side Ito darted in, stumbled around goalkeeper Gabriël but his hot deflected off the crossbar back onto the pitch for Samatta to shoot it wildly over.

Five minutes later he did better. Sub Hagi teed him up with an exquisite ball throug the home defense and this time he lifted the ball into the top part of the goal. A first hat-trick for Samagoal this season. No need for the visitors to do more, Waasland-Beveren were unable to hit back. In the closing stages goalkeeper Gaëtan Coucke had to go full stretch to push a kick from Caufriez out of harms way. So it became a smooth victory, fully celebrated with our travelling fans. 

Waasland-Beveren line-up: Gabriël, Wiegel, Caufriez, Vukotic, Vukcevic, Verreth, Emmers (67’ Heymans), Bizimana (45’ Agyepong), Schryvers, Badibanga and Forte (62’ Sula).

KRC Genk line-up: Coucke, De Norre (70’ Maehle), Dewaest, Lucumi, Uronen, Berge, Heynen (86’ Wouters), Piotrowski (75’ Hagi), Ito, Paintsil and Samatta.

Scorers:

21’ : 0 – 1 : Paintsil
52’ : 0 – 2 : Samatta
66’ : 0 – 3 : Samatta
85’ : 0 – 4 : Samatta

Bookings: 52’ Wiegel, 93’ Heymans

Red cards:

Referee: Kevin Van Damme

Attendance: 3,421