Union secures an away win in Mechelen

In a buzzing Achter de Kazerne stadium, Union travelled to Mechelen on Sunday afternoon. It was far from an easy trip, with their last away win there dating back to 2019.

Union started on the front foot, applying high pressure. They nearly took the lead early on when Sykes headed just over from a corner. Mechelen relied on counter-attacks but rarely threatened.

Schoofs tried his luck from distance following a corner, but his effort went wide.

Around the half-hour mark, the hosts had their first real chance on the break but couldn’t break down Union’s defence. The visitors stayed solid and kept up the attacking pressure.

Union threatened again as Khalaili linked up with Ait El Hadj, who delivered a cross. Schoofs got a shot away, but St. Jago blocked it with his head.

Mechelen then had a chance of their own: Raman beat Mac Allister and drove towards goal, but his shot flew over.

Just before the break, the decisive goal arrived. A header from Mac Allister was cleared off the line by Miras, but from the resulting corner, Schoofs played it low, catching the defence off guard, and Sykes finished: 0-1.

After the break, Mechelen grew into the game, while Union remained dangerous on the counter. Rodriguez had a chance after breaking through, but his effort was blocked.

Shortly after, Mechelen won a free kick in a promising position following a light foul on Raman just outside the box. Van Brederode struck it, but the shot hit the wall.

The second goal wouldn’t come. Miras denied Union three times to keep his side in it: stopping Fuseini one-on-one, saving a long-range effort from Schoofs, and then denying Florucz.

In the closing stages, long balls dominated without result. Scherpen was no longer troubled. With that, we retain the top spot. Next week, we host Club Brugge in a top-of-the-table clash.