Mechelen vs Westerlo

Westerlo finally got their season going in style, dismantling KV Mechelen 0-4 on the road for their first league victory. It was one-way traffic from the opening whistle, with the visitors clinical in front of goal while the hosts struggled to muster any real threat. Isa Sakamoto set the tone after just 7 minutes, before Shunsuke Saito doubled the lead in the 27th to send Mechelen into halftime facing whistles and jeers from their own supporters. Saito added his second in the 67th, and substitute Nikola Storm, once a Mechelen player himself, rounded things off in the 88th with a curling finish he chose not to celebrate. Westerlo also saw two penalty shouts waved away and hit the woodwork, while Mechelen lost Adeshina Ayodele to injury before the half-hour mark. The result drops KV Mechelen to just 2 points from five games and deep relegation-zone trouble, while Westerlo climbs to 12th with a much-needed confidence boost.