Friendly Match: SV Elversberg 4-1 KAS Eupen
In Bitburg Ost Stadium, KAS Eupen lost the friendly match against 2. Bundesliga team SV Elversberg with a score of 1-4. Following a 0-0 draw against Viktoria Köln, KAS Eupen continued to rely on their young players in their squad, giving them the opportunity to earn a place in the team.
Consequently, the average age of the Eupen team in the first half was 22 years, and in the second half, after the coaching duo Kristoffer Andersen and Nicolas Collubry made complete substitutions, it dropped to just 20 years.
1-1 by Jan Gorenc
The goal for KAS Eupen was scored by Jan Gorenc in the 50th minute, leveling the score to 1-1. Especially in the second half, KAS Eupen was an equal opponent but could not capitalize on two good chances to take a 2-1 lead or to make it 2-2. From Eupen’s perspective, three casually conceded goals were particularly frustrating.
SV Elversberg Dominates the First Half
In front of 212 spectators, SV Elversberg initially dominated the game against KAS Eupen under hot summer conditions, creating three chances, which the Saarlanders failed to convert. In the 36th minute, Elversberg took the lead through Filimon Gerezgiher after an unnecessary loss of possession by Teddy Alloh. With the score at 1-0 for SV Elversberg, the teams switched sides and both teams made almost complete substitutions. For KAS Eupen, only forward Isaac Nuhu remained on the field before being replaced by Victor Tihon in the 60th minute.
KAS Eupen on Parity in the Second Half
After a rather sluggish start, KAS Eupen found their rhythm in the second half. The young Eupen players gained possession and became dangerous in attack. Jan Gorenc, who had a strong performance, scored a great header in the 50th minute after a free-kick cross from Nathan Bitumazala to equalize at 1-1. Despite the heat, Eupen continued to show great effort and high work rate. Isaac Nuhu missed a well-played counter-attack in the 55th minute against Elversberg goalkeeper Tim Boss, failing to convert it into a 2-1 lead.
The game remained open, and for Elversberg, Dominik Martinovic converted a penalty in the 64th minute, awarded for an awkward foul by Pape Niang, to give them a 2-1 lead. The strong Eupen defender could have handled this situation better. Eupen had another chance when Pape Niang provided a nice pass to the quick Nathan Bitumazala, but Tim Boss won another one-on-one duel in the 70th minute.
In the final stages, Elversberg initially scored a 3-1 in the 83rd minute through Martinovic. Almost at the final whistle, the score was increased to 4-1 after a penalty, which Luca Chavet had carelessly given away.
Conclusion:
Against an opponent that is two weeks further into their pre-season preparations than KAS Eupen, the young Eupen team showed promising signs, especially in the second half, creating several good chances and keeping the game competitive due to their high work rate. However, the team needs to use these promising signs in the remaining pre-season weeks to further improve their performance.
KAS Eupen’s third pre-season match is scheduled for the upcoming Saturday, July 27, at 2:00 PM against the Dutch amateur team RKC Waalwijk.
Starting Line-Up First Half:
– Nurudeen Manaf
– Yentl Van Genechten
– Isaac Nuhu
– Jérôme Déom
– Amadou Keita
– David Wildlarz
– Rune Paeshuyse
– Teddy Alloh
– Boris Lambert
– Luca Dalla Costa
– Bertan Caliskan
Starting Line-Up Second Half:
– Julian Renner
– Luca Chavet
– Jan Gorenc
– Sacha Bescond
– Andrea Piron
– Pape Niang
– Nathan Bitumazala
– Luca Jehoulet
– Jaden Malhage
– Lorenzo Youndje
– Isaac Nuhu
Substitutions:
– 60’ Tihon for Nuhu
Goals:
– 1-0 (37′) Gerezgiher
– 1-1 (50′) Gorenc
– 2-1 (64′) Martinovic (penalty)
– 3-1 (83′) Martinovic
– 4-1 (90′) Mahmoud (penalty)