Westerlo and Union Saint-Gilloise played to a scoreless draw on Sunday, a result that allows Union to maintain its lead in the Belgian Pro League despite playing a man down for much of the second half. The match, held at Het Kuipje, saw a red card issued to Westerlo’s Clinton Nsiala in the 29th minute after an altercation with Union’s Mac Giger.
The first half saw both sides create opportunities, but neither could find the back of the net. Union Saint-Gilloise began pressing high, attempting to break through Westerlo’s defense with quick attacks. Zorgane had an early attempt in the 10th minute that went wide, and Khalaili’s 15th-minute shot was saved by Westerlo goalkeeper Jungdal. Fuseini thought he had scored, but the goal was disallowed for offsides.
Westerlo responded with a dangerous chance in the 23rd minute, as Sakamoto fired a powerful shot just over the crossbar. Fuseini threatened again in the 25th minute, and Sayyadmanesh found himself one-on-one with Chambaere in the 27th minute, but Chambaere made a crucial save to deny the Westerlo attacker. The game intensified before Nsiala’s sending off.
Despite being reduced to ten men, Westerlo continued to challenge. Haspolat created a scoring opportunity in the 36th minute, but the score remained 0-0 at halftime. Union Saint-Gilloise also had a goal disallowed for offsides, this time from Mac Allister.
The second half saw continued back-and-forth action, with both teams searching for a breakthrough. Giger and Mac Allister both had early attempts after the restart, but neither could convert. Union Saint-Gilloise had six shots, with only one on target, while Westerlo managed a fourth shot on goal, again thwarted by Chambaere’s goalkeeping.
Despite a late push, neither team could find a winning goal, with the match ending in a 0-0 draw. Union Saint-Gilloise will experience they dropped points, but Westerlo’s resolute defense earned them a share of the spoils.
The draw keeps Union Saint-Gilloise atop the Belgian Pro League standings with 57 points, three points ahead of Sint-Truiden and four ahead of Club Brugge, who were playing Sporting Charleroi at the time of reporting. Westerlo remains in 9th place with 35 points. [1]
