Nigerian forward Tolu Arokodare was on the scoresheet for his First Division A side KRC Genk in their 1-0 win over leaders Union Saint-Gilloise in the first of ten battles in the League's Championship Round.
Played inside the Cegeka Arena, the Smurfs started with a three-man defence for the first time this season in an unprecedented 3-4-3 formation and bagged all three points as Arokodare found the back of the net in the 27th minute.
Patrik Hrosovsky had provided the assist for Arokodare who found some space and shot past Anthony Moris in goal. Three minutes later, Arokodare almost registered a brace but was adjudged to be narrowly offside.
In the second half, Tolu got on the end of a cross from Ait El Hadj but he nodded into the hands of the goalkeeper. In added time, Arokodare was aggressively tackled by Christian Burgess of Union SG and his reaction earned him a straight red card with the visitors reduced to 10 men late on.
Arokodare's numbers are far from convincing
The former Amiens and FC Koln striker who joined the Belgian outfit only last year during the winter break has now gone on to score 12 goals whilst providing 3 assists in 42 games across all competitions for KRC Genk.
The 23-year-old who was recently subjected to racial abuse by some fans in Belgium only managed to score 8 goals in the regular First Division A season after making 29 appearances. In what could be dubbed as a disappointing going by the numbers, he also managed to score three goals in the Champions League and UEFA Conference League qualifiers.
What the coach said about Arokodare and his teammates
Coach Wouter Vrancken after the game praised his team for the good showing over the regular season league leaders.
“When you are playing in the first playoff match, you want to give everything. The boys showed that today, despite the many absences from our team, the energy was incredible and the faith was also very high. You can then tell what can be achieved,” said the coach who is hoping to lead the team to another league title.
“I expect everyone eligible to play to be ready. I don't think there is any better time to show your qualities. I hope that the boys will make it as difficult as possible for me in terms of options in the coming weeks.”
“Today, the first half was very good, but we also lost some strength for the second half. The fans were also there to back us, the synergy was good throughout the entire stadium. There is still a long way to go, but we have taken a great first step with this result,” Vrancken concluded.
Arokodare and his teammates – who were recently in the news for a match-fixing allegation – will hope to help Genk to a fifth First Division A title as they play three of the first four matches on their home turf before a string of tough road games.
Vrancken also added that there must be belief in his team that they can achieve results, especially with support from the home crowd.
The Genk vs Westerlo sham?
Both teams had played out a 1-1 draw in their last First Division A regular season fixture ahead of the Championship Round.
Westerlo needed just a point to avoid relegation while Genk who scored the equalizer in the 86th minute needed just a point to finish sixth in the league and secure qualification for the Championship play-offs.
The scenes after the equalizer were then questioned as Westerlo chose to retain possession and pass amongst themselves, Genk stopped pressing and even had one of their players doing fitness exercises on the pitch while players from both teams began shaking hands during stoppage time.
The Belgian FA officials in a swift response denounced the result as a “sham of fairness” and a “parody” and subsequently imposed fines on all 21 players who played.
The two clubs face the possibility of fines with the Federal Prosecutor's Office describing the outcome of the game as a “blatant fraud.” Additionally, the two captains and their coaches were banned with Westerlo terminating the contract of manager Rik De Mil.
