2023-12-14 09:25:00
After the high mountain stages where he alternated the good (success against Club Bruges, Anderlecht and Genk, draw against Anderlecht) and the less good (defeats in Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges, draw against Mechelen), for a record of 11 points out of 24, Standard must take advantage of the flat stages to get closer to the top 6 peloton by the end of the year.
A nine out of nine to complete 2023 against Charleroi, in Mechelen then against St-Truiden would give him at least a little enthusiasm. This is good: Charleroi is a team that succeeds at Standard. On his hunting board, he hung Charleroi at the top of his favorite victims, among the historical adversaries.
The Liégeois have a rate of points taken close to 60% (59.3) against the Zebras, all competitions combined. The trend is even more reinforced in recent seasons since the Rouches have pocketed 16 victories in the last 29 matches, accompanied by 10 draws and 3 defeats.
This is the equivalent of 66.6% of the points taken, before a thirtieth meeting that Standard needs to win to confirm its recovery, in the absence of victory, in Anderlecht (2-2). A look back at four matches and a series which marked the last Walloon shocks, and not only on the pitch unfortunately…
2011: firecrackers, tennis balls and invasion of land
Mémé Tchite doubled the lead from the penalty spot, then picked up the tennis balls. ©
Standard is fighting for the top 6 when it arrives at Charleroi, which is fighting to stay in D1. The Rouches, still involved in the semi-finals of the Belgian Cup, quickly took cover with two goals from Jelle Van Damme then Mémé Tchité, from the penalty spot.
The meeting will shift into another (sad) dimension. Firstly due to the throwing of a firecracker by a Standard supporter, which arrived near the Charleroi goalkeeper, Rémy Riou. This first incident requires an interruption of the meeting, and the anger of Steven Defour, who will explain himself to his own supporters to ask for a return to calm.
The spirits calmed down, the match resumed, but it did not reach its conclusion, due to a throwing of tennis balls by the Charleroi supporters, who then invaded the field, breaking the fences to gain access. The intervention of the police forces Mr. De Bleeckere to end the meeting at 0-2, 22 people are arrested and Abbas Bayat, outgoing president, is more contested than ever.
Charleroi will go down to D2 at the end of the season, Standard will qualify for playoffs 1, failing in second place, but winning the Belgian Cup.
2012: games, sets, match and Dzinic the cursed
Yoni Buyens scored on the outward and return legs. A double including a subtle lob in Charleroi then a penalty in Sclessin. ©
For its return to D1, Charleroi takes the equivalent of two tennis sets: 2-6 in Charleroi; 6-1 at Standard. The first leg, in Charleroi, was balanced until the exclusion of Dzinic, who conceded a penalty, transformed by Seijas (1-3), and was excluded. If Bojovic reduced the gap at the hour mark, a double from Buyens, including a subtle lob, ended Carolos’ hopes.
Sébastien Pocognoli plants a Liège flag in the central Carolo circle at the end of the match, it is debated, but Ron Jans and the Rouches still have a smile on this Saturday in mid-August. Things will get worse later, the Dutch coach is sacked, replaced by Mircea Rednic, but the return match is of the same caliber as the first leg.
Dzinic is… excluded again, after four minutes this time, and Standard leads 2-0 after less than ten minutes at the cost of a marvelous strike from Vainqueur. This Standard – Charleroi is marked by good goals since Buzaglo sends a masterful free kick then offers a backheel 4-0 to Goreux. The Rouches lead 5-0 at the break, the matter is settled, and the match is interrupted at the start of the second period due to a throw of firecrackers and seats, coming from the Carolos stands. But it will come to an end this time…
2015: the “dead time” that saves the Rouches
Jelle Van Damme had equalized, after the match was interrupted and before Emond offered victory. ©
When he arrived in Charleroi at the end of October, Standard was last after twelve days. The club is in crisis, Yannick Ferrera joined the Liège club at the beginning of September, but the recovery is long in coming. The Rouches, thanks to Arslanagic’s opener, confirmed their good start to the match. But, as too often, they fell back into their mistakes, conceded two goals (Perbet then Baby), and provoked the anger of their supporters, who threw firecrackers and smoke bombs leading to the interruption of the match.
This downtime is useful for Ferrera, who slips in a few instructions and brings up Ivan Santini as well as Renaud Emond. After the equalizer of Jelle Van Damme – who should have been excluded, Felice Mazzù later regretted – the Croatian striker hampered Penneteau in his exit and allowed the Belgian, who was not yet the Phoenix, to offer an essential victory (2-3) to Rouches who will only lose two matches in the following ten matches.
If it misses playoffs 1, Standard will win the Belgian Cup at the end of the season.
2016-2019: 9 matches, 6 goals, 2 victories
Paul-José Mpoku scored the winning goal for Rouches the day after Christmas. ©
It is a series which has not remained in the memories of Liège and Carolos, due to the lack of action. Between 2016 and 2019, Standard and Charleroi played the equivalent of 800 minutes, but only scored six goals…
Well, not entirely, since a match, that of December 4, 2016 in Charleroi, was lively, with four goals (1-3), but stopped in the 70th minute by the stupidity of the supporters of both camps (a habit …). Result: the CBAS had canceled the Liège success, and reduced the score to 0-0, and one point each.
Goal draws often marked the matches of this period: four out of eight, not counting the one pronounced by the CBAS. Although there were few goals, some matches were more successful than others, proof of the intensity of the reunion, five in number in 2018 alone.
It was also during that year that the Rouches acquired their two successes, by the same score: 1-0 at Sclessin during the first day of the playoffs then 0-1 at Charleroi the day after Christmas. A Belgian-style Boxing Day match where the yellow cards were distributed like gifts: Nicolas Laforge held up 13! The 1-1 on February 18 ended with seven yellow cards and one exclusion (Laifis).
In the absence of goals, there were cards…
2021: invasion of land (bis)
Standard supporters put an end to a Walloon clash which was often marked by idiotic behavior. ©
Standard has not often lost against Charleroi, and even less at Sclessin. Before the defeat on December 5, we had to go back to October 31, 2008 to find traces of a Carol success on the banks of the Meuse. The setting of 2008 was however different since Standard was an outgoing champion and the defeat did not prevent Axel Witsel and his teammates from being crowned again at the end of the season.
In 2021, the Rouches are going through a deep crisis. Luka Elsner replaced Mbaye Leye in mid-October, the top 8 is still far away and there is an increasingly growing air of protest towards the management. The “summit” was reached during this Walloon shock which, in a certain way, sadly recalled other matches and more particularly that of 2011.
Like the Carolos supporters ten years earlier, the Liégeois did everything to interrupt the match after Shamar Nicholson’s third goal, a little before the hour mark. The game was interrupted twice by Mr. Laforge, after the throw of firecrackers, it will be definitively stopped five minutes from time, several hooded supporters going onto the pitch to provoke their Carolos counterparts while it is 0-3.
Since this defeat, Standard have won twice and drawn twice. And Saturday?
The latest Walloon shocks ©IPM Graphics
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