1st in D1A: 2,067 days since “Come on, Trebel, stay with us”
The last time Anderlecht was at the top of the championship was on August 17, 2018, after a 2-0 against Mouscron. Hein Vanhaezebrouck started the season with a 12 out of 12, Marc Coucke already believed himself to be champion. The team that beat Mouscron was: Didillon, Saelemaekers, Vranjes, Bornauw, Milic, Trebel, Makarenko, Musona, Amuzu, Dimata and Santini. The public chanted “Come on, Trebel, stay with us”, seeing as the Frenchman – author of a goal from a direct free kick – was leaving. But he ended up signing his (very big) contract for 5 years. We know the rest: the RSCA finished 6th in the playoffs and did not qualify for the European Cup, for the first time in 56 years.
1st in PO1: 2,520 days since the departure of Tielemans
The last time Anderlecht led the championship during playoffs 1 was on May 17, 2017, when Sporting played for nothing against KV Ostend (3-2). The title had been won the previous week, after a 1-3 in Charleroi. It was Frank Acheampong, who entered the game at half-time, who gave Sporting the third goal against Marc Coucke's KVO. This match was Youri Tielemans' last at Anderlecht, before his departure to Monaco. Sven Kums had just signed for Anderlecht. And Herman Van Holsbeeck was preparing his own departure. The successor he had in mind was… Dimitri De Condé.
Remontada at 10:1,806 days since Jova's last visit
This is not the first time that Sporting has won a ten against eleven match. And this is not the first time that Sporting has turned the match on its head despite its numerical inferiority. We remember a 2-2 in Ostend when Kouamé was excluded at 2-0. But for a victory that Anderlecht was looking for when it had been reduced to 10, we have to go back to May 5, 2019, in a Clasico during the playoffs. Bornauw was excluded after 11 minutes at 0-0 and Anderlecht won 2-1, notably thanks to a goal from Verschaeren, a 17-year-old kid. For the 17th time in a row, Michel Preud'homme did not win at Parc Astrid. This May 5 was also the day of Jovanovic's last visit, as a tourist.
Winner of the Union in D1A: 18,656 days since Popol's double
The 10th was therefore the right one for Anderlecht against the Union. After eight defeats in a row and a draw, Sporting ended up winning against their neighbor. In the Cup, the Mauves had already achieved this in 1979 (2-0) and 2021 (0-5), but the last victory in D1 dates from March 17, 1973, the year when the Union was relegated to D2. After the 1-0 at Parc Duden, Sporting won at Parc Astrid by 2-0, two goals from Paul Van Himst. Anderlecht finished 6th, but won the Cup.
