Anderlecht missed a chance for a late equaliser in the Europa League due to a controversial penalty decision. In the 85th minute of their 1-2 home defeat to Lyon, former Club Brugge defender Clinton Mata shoved Anderlecht defender Mihajlo Cvetkovic to the ground away from the ball, but referee Ricardo de Burgos did not award a spot-kick.
"A debatable incident in the 85th minute of Anderlecht-Lyon," the editorial team said. The referee and the video assistant referee reviewed footage from multiple angles but reached the same conclusion. "For referee Ricardo de Burgos the incident may have been difficult to see, but VAR looked at the images from several viewpoints." The decision caused frustration among the home supporters in a tense finale.
The loss to the French side puts pressure on Anderlecht in their Europa League group. Domestically, the Brussels club currently sits seventh in the Jupiler Pro League with ten points from six matches. Recent form has been mixed with two wins, a draw and two defeats in their last five games. The full standings show Anderlecht are six points behind leaders Union Saint-Gilloise.
Match details
Lyon took an early lead through N. Nartey in the eighth minute. K. Nakamura doubled the advantage in the 22nd minute. Anderlecht fought back in the second half when Cvetkovic, the player later involved in the shoving incident, pulled a goal back in the 61st minute from an A. Maamar assist. The home side pushed for an equaliser, leading to the key penalty-box incident.
Coach Vitor Bruno must now rally his team quickly for the next fixture. On Sunday, Anderlecht host Zulte Waregem, who are fifth in the table, in the league. The lineup and player fitness can be tracked on our squad page. The upcoming fixtures are key to continuing their climb up the table.
The focus now turns to the response. The team showed resilience after a previous 0-1 win at KV Mechelen and must do so again. The next European challenge, a trip to Kazakhstan, is approaching fast. The final training session ahead of the Zulte Waregem match takes place on Saturday.
This story first appeared at HLN Voetbal
Anderlecht must quickly forget the loss to Lyon for the home match against Zulte Waregem. Coach Vitor Bruno is dealing with two absent defenders. According to the club's official injury list, Giulian Biancone and Lucas Hey are unavailable. Biancone is expected to return on October 10, while Hey is not due back until January 2027 from a broken leg. The team, sitting seventh with ten points, has shown resilience after a defeat before.
The club confirmed on September 18 that Anderlecht must quickly forget the loss against Lyon. Coach Vitor Bruno said: "We must now focus on Zulte Waregem." The team, which is seventh with ten points, previously showed resilience after a defeat. Recent form is mixed with two wins, one draw, and two losses in the last five matches.
