The Essevee played almost an hour at ten against eleven, Alessandro Ciranni being sent off in the 35th minute for a dangerous tackle on Rob Schoofs. First warned by referee Bram Van Driessche, he was sent back to the locker room after VAR intervention.
Mechelen shook the net as David Bates tipped past Sammy Bossut in the 75th minute. This goal sent Malinwa, who had already won the first leg 1-2 at the Arc-en-ciel stadium, to the final for the 7th time in their history.
Mechelen have won the Cup twice, in 1987 and 2019, and lost in the final in 1967, 1991, 1992 and 2009.
The final will take place on April 30 (2:30 p.m.) at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels. Steven Defour’s KVM will face either Union Saint-Gilloise or Antwerp.
The Union had won the first leg 1-0 at Parc Duden. The return match will take place on Thursday in Antwerp.