RAAL La Louvière ran riot against Dunkirk in a Club Friendly on Thursday, winning 4-0 at Stade Marcel-Tribut. The Belgian side made light work of the French hosts, who have been struggling to find consistency this pre-season. By then, the visitors had already established control through their recent form.
The scoreline tells you everything about the match. Four goals without reply, and nothing to show for the entire first half from the home side. To be fair, RAAL La Louvière had looked sharp in their previous outings, and this was the clearest statement of intent yet.
Dunkirk arrived with mixed results from their last five friendlies. They started with a 0-1 defeat to Montpellier, followed by losses to Nancy and Pau, but managed a 2-1 victory over Saint-Étienne and a 1-1 draw with Clermont Foot. The line has barely moved in terms of their overall shape, but this performance added another question mark.
RAAL La Louvière came into the fixture with more momentum. After a 0-2 loss to Standard Liège, they bounced back with a 2-2 draw against Mechelen, then a heavy 0-4 defeat to Sint-Truiden. The old head settled them down for the next two matches, and they took maximum points from wins against Kortrijk and OHL Leuven.
The result leaves RAAL La Louvière with something to build on, while Dunkirk will need to address the defensive frailties that cost them dearly. It was a straight knockout for the hosts, and the gap between the two sides was never in doubt by then.
