Stalemate at Stade Luc Varenne: Tournai Halts Losing Skid, La Calamine Misses Chance to Climb

TOURNAI, Belgium — With autumn’s chill settling over Stade Luc Varenne, Tournai’s players trudged off the pitch Saturday evening, their faces betraying neither disappointment nor elation—just a weary sense of relief. After five consecutive defeats, a goalless draw against La Calamine might not inspire celebration, but for a club desperately seeking stability, it felt like a crucial exhale amid a turbulent campaign.

The final whistle confirmed Tournai’s first point in over a month, snapping a slide that had seen them leak goals and confidence in equal measure. For La Calamine, fresh off a controlled 2-0 win over Ganshoren, the sense was quite different. They arrived in Wallonia eyeing another three points to push into the Second Amateur Division’s upper tier, only to depart rueing missed chances and a sputtering attack.

A Match of Halves and Halts

The opening minutes set a tone of urgency for the hosts. Driven by the memory of their leaky defense—conceding 13 goals in the previous five matches—Tournai’s back line dropped deep and doubled down on organization. La Calamine, by contrast, looked to build with intent, captain Kevin Croes orchestrating from midfield and probing for spaces that never quite materialized.

The match’s first significant moment arrived in the 18th minute, when La Calamine’s Serge M’Baye wriggled free on the left, forcing Tournai keeper Maxime Leroy into a sprawling save. Leroy’s sharp reflexes would prove decisive again in the 36th minute, as he parried an angled strike from Jonas Gerards destined for the far post. Tournai’s defensive resolve was unmistakable—even if it meant ceding possession and attacking ambition.

Tournai’s brightest flash came just before halftime. Midfielder Antoine Dumont broke through La Calamine’s lines and unleashed a low effort from 20 yards, but visiting keeper Tim Schroeder was equal to it, diving left to tip the ball beyond the post. For a side that had managed only five goals in the past five outings, even half-chances felt like gold dust.

The second half slogged forward with a mounting sense of frustration. Fouls became more frequent, cards threatened to appear, but referee Marc Vitrier kept his pockets closed. The only booking of the evening went to La Calamine’s left-back Moussa N’Diaye for a late lunge on Yassine Benamar in the 74th minute.

As minutes ticked away, substitutes were summoned in search of a spark, but neither side found the necessary incision. In stoppage time, La Calamine’s best opportunity fell to substitute Aurélien Goossens, whose close-range header floated agonizingly over the bar.

Context: Desperate for Answers, Both Find Only Partial Ones

For Tournai, this draw arrests an alarming slide—five consecutive defeats, the most recent a 1-0 loss at Raeren-Eynatten—at least momentarily. The result does little to lift them from the lower reaches of the ACFF Second Amateur Division table, where they remain dangerously close to the drop zone. Yet, a clean sheet and a point will be counted as progress, particularly considering the defensive lapses and late-game fadeouts that have characterized their September and early October.

Their last five matches, prior to today, painted a bleak picture:

• Oct 5: Lost 0-1 at Raeren-Eynatten
• Sep 27: Lost 1-2 vs Flénu
• Sep 20: Lost 1-3 at Braine
• Sep 13: Lost 1-4 vs RUS Binche
• Sep 6: Lost 2-3 at Stade Verviers

La Calamine, meanwhile, entered the contest with momentum and an eye on the league’s top pack. Wins over Ganshoren (2-0) and Sporting Bruxelles (1-0) offset September’s setbacks, but this stalemate feels like a missed step in their chase for a playoff position.

Their recent run:

• Oct 4: Won 2-0 vs Ganshoren
• Sep 28: Lost 1-3 at Acren-Lessines
• Sep 20: Won 1-0 vs Sporting Bruxelles
• Sep 13: Lost 1-2 at Ostiches
• Sep 10: Lost 1-2 vs Braine

Implications for Standings and Rivalry

While both teams have avoided the worst-case scenarios—another defeat for Tournai, a shock away loss for La Calamine—neither will feel especially satisfied. Tournai edges marginally away from last place, but their margin for error remains razor-thin. La Calamine loses ground in the playoff race: with three points tonight, they could have pressed higher, instead settling for shared spoils.

As for the history between these two sides, recent meetings have often been closely fought, with draws and narrow margins the norm rather than the exception. That narrative continued tonight, extending a rivalry defined more by grit than glamour.

What’s Next

Looking ahead, the urgency increases for both. For Tournai, today was a foundational step—a point and a shutout to build upon before a daunting run of fixtures. Their immediate goal remains clear: climb out of the relegation scrap and restore belief. For La Calamine, it’s a warning that consistency is elusive in this division, and that every squandered chance carries weight in a tight, congested table.

As the sun set over Stade Luc Varenne, both sets of supporters found themselves searching for reassurance amid the uncertainty. Sometimes, a draw is less a statement than a pause—a chance to regroup before the season’s real battles begin anew.