Genk opened their Regular Season campaign with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Vasaland-Beveren at the Seghoca Arena on Friday evening. The Jupiler Pro League fixture, played before the regular start date, saw the hosts take full control from the opening exchanges. The result moves Genk to seven points from four games, while Vasaland-Beveren remain rooted in twelfth place with just three points from their opening quartet.
And here's the thing — the match was decided almost immediately. A penalty was awarded after just seven minutes following a VAR review, and R. Durosinmi converted calmly to give Genk the lead. J. Ito doubled the advantage eighteen minutes later, finding the net well before the quarter-hour mark.
By then the visitors had lost their composure, and Yoni Gomis picked up a booking twenty-nine minutes in for a challenge that could have gone either way. J. Kongolo made it three before half-time, slotting home from close range after Genk had dominated the early exchanges. The home side never got going in terms of pressure — Vasaland-Beveren simply could not breathe.
The second half saw more substitutions than drama. Genk brought on J. Erenbjerg and A. Yokoyama seventy-one minutes in, while the hosts responded with three changes at the break. J. Kayembe extended the margin seventy-four minutes from the start, and then was himself substituted seventy-seven minutes in — a rare sight for a goalscorer.
Genk's statistics told the story of a team that created freely but finished ruthlessly. They registered seven shots on target and created eight big chances, while Vasaland-Beveren managed just one shot on target and zero big chances despite holding 51 per cent possession. The visitors crossed thirty-four times but failed to test the goalkeeper meaningfully.
The gap between the sides in the table has now widened to four points, and Genk cannot afford another slip if they want to climb. Vasaland-Beveren's run of three defeats in four games is becoming a concern, and their inability to create anything of substance at the other end will not go unnoticed by the coaching staff.