Excelsior Virton saw off Lierse Kempenzonen 3-0 in the opening round of the Challenger Pro League regular season. The home side took control early, with a pair of goals arriving just before the break. A. Hachem opened the scoring in the forty-fifth minute and added a second immediately after.
The visitors had dominated possession through the opening forty-five minutes but failed to test the goalkeeper. Excelsior Virton worked a short corner in the thirty-second period before P. Perdichizzi picked up a yellow card. And here's the thing — three yellow cards flew in before half-time, with D. Dassy joining the list.
The second half brought little pressure from the away side despite their 58 per cent share of the ball. Lierse Kempenzonen managed a single shot on target all evening and paid the price when A. Hachem converted a penalty in the eighty-sixth minute. By then, the result was already beyond doubt.
Excelsior Virton added two more goals in stoppage time to complete a comfortable victory. Hachem found the net again in the ninetieth minute and added a fourth in the ninety-fifth. The visitors made three changes, including I. Goudani, who had already been booked earlier in the second half.
The statistics tell a familiar story — possession without penetration. Lierse Kempenzonen registered eight corners and twelve attacks but could not find the target. Excelsior Virton, with just four corners and nine attacks, took their chances when they came.
The victory moves Excelsior Virton to five points from three games, sitting in fifth place. Lierse Kempenzonen remain on five points from four matches but have slipped to tenth. To be fair, the visitors had shown promise in recent fixtures before this outing.