Anderlecht moved clear of the bottom half with a comfortable 3:0 victory over Kortrijk at the Gulden Sporenstadion on Saturday afternoon. The Belgian Pro League's second round saw the visitors take control early and never look back, while the home side struggled to generate any meaningful threat throughout the contest.
A. Valencia opened the scoring in the 31st minute, firing past the keeper before Matthew Anderson picked up a yellow card for Kortrijk six minutes later. The Belgian side tried to respond but could only manage two shots on target all evening, and by then Anderlecht were already in command. Valencia doubled the advantage in the 65th minute, slotting home to put the visitors two goals up.
And here's the thing — Kortrijk's statistics told the story without needing commentary. They completed 396 passes against 407 for their opponents, but possession meant nothing when they created zero big chances while Anderlecht managed two. The home side's 10 shots off target and 13 tackles showed desperation rather than structure, and to be fair, they had little to work with after conceding so early.
R. Van Helden wrapped up the scoring in the 80th minute, and the substitutions that followed told their own tale. Kortrijk brought on four players in the final ten minutes — J. Ndjeungoue, B. Dejaegere, K. Masui and M. Frey — while Anderlecht made three changes. Valencia was taken off in the 70th minute after his brace, replaced by E. Tuypens, and the visitors had done enough.
The result leaves Kortrijk rooted at the bottom of the table with zero points from five games, five defeats and no goals scored. Anderlecht move up to 10th place on seven points from two wins, one draw and two losses. The gap between them looks wider now, and the home side face a difficult run ahead.