Union Saint-Gilloise moved to the top of the Jupiler Pro League table with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Antwerp at the Bosuilstadion on Sunday afternoon. The result puts the visitors seven points clear at the summit after seven matches, while the hosts drop further into trouble with just two wins and seven points from their opening games.
It was Union who struck first, with Mateo Biondic finding the net in the 51st minute to break the deadlock. The goal came after a period where Antwerp looked increasingly desperate, particularly after Bahmed Deuff's red card in the 69th minute left them playing with ten men for almost twenty minutes. Denzel De Roeve added a second in the 78th minute, and by then the visitors had already controlled the tempo of the game.
The statistics tell you what the eye already saw. Union created eight big chances to Antwerp's zero, and their shot accuracy of 0.52 compared with the hosts' miserable 0.14 says everything about efficiency. Antwerp managed just one shot on target all afternoon, while Union hit the target eleven times. They also dominated in the final third, completing 85 passes into the opposition half compared with 31 for the home side.
Antwerp's form has been worrying in recent weeks. They've lost three of their last four league matches, including a heavy 1-3 defeat to Club Brugge just last Sunday. That run of results has cost them any illusion of competing for European places this season. To be fair, they had a point earlier in the campaign with a 4-4 draw against Genk, but consistency remains their problem.
Union meanwhile are building something special. They've now won six of seven league games, picking up five clean sheets in the process. Their most recent fixture was a 3-0 victory over Plzeň in Europe, which shows the level they're operating at. And here's the thing — they're doing it while maintaining discipline, having received only two yellow cards throughout the season.
Antwerp's situation looks increasingly precarious. Sitting 13th with seven points after seven matches means they're already in the danger zone, and the gap to safety is growing. They'll need to find answers quickly if they want to avoid a relegation battle this season. The red card against Union was another example of discipline issues that have plagued them.