KV Mechelen miss chance to all but secure Pro League safety in defeat to 10 man Beerschot | OneFootball

It was another frustrating weekend for KV Mechelen in the Belgian Pro League. After throwing things away last weekend against St Truiden, the side lost 1-0 to basement side Beerschot who spent the entire second half with 10 men. A win for Mechelen would have given them 35 points and almost guaranteed their chance of remaining in the Pro League. Instead, they are still very much in with a chance of finishing in the bottom four.

Welat Cargo scored the only goal of the game just before half-time. Beerschot were then reduced to 10 men when goalkeeper Nick Shinton was sent off. His replacement, Davor Matijas, then went on to save a penalty from Kerim Mrabti to heap further frustration on Mechelen. Without their leading striker Benito Raman, the side struggled to take any chances. While the result is unlikely to change much for Beerschot, who are still destined to be relegated, it changes everything for Mechelen.

Mechelen travel to Charleroi next weekend before facing Dender at home to end the regular season. Beerschot, who are still 10 points away from the relegation play-off spot, face the holders of that position in Sint Truiden next weekend. Their final game is against Westerlo, another of the struggling sides.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson