Sporting Charleroi II Stages Second-Half Rally to Edge Rochefort and Shake Up the First Amateur Division Table

Sporting Charleroi II delivered a stirring second-half comeback on Sunday, overturning an early Rochefort advantage to claim a vital 2-1 home victory—a result that injects fresh intrigue into the increasingly competitive First Amateur Division.

For 65 minutes, the visitors from Rochefort appeared poise and in control, holding onto the slender lead granted by their 21st-minute goal. Compact in defense and purposeful in transition, Rochefort looked to extend their promising early-season run, aiming to consolidate their place in the league’s upper half. But as the autumn shadows lengthened across the unknown venue, Charleroi II summoned the resolve that has often eluded them in recent weeks and turned the contest on its head with a devastating spell midway through the second half.

The match’s opening phase unfolded as many had anticipated—Rochefort, coming off a sobering 0-3 home defeat to Meux but sitting sixth in the table with six points from four matches, started brightly. The visitors' breakthrough came in the 21st minute, a move characterized by directness and precision. Although the identity of the scorer remains unconfirmed, the goal owed much to Rochefort’s early press and their ability to find space between the lines, forcing Charleroi II onto the back foot and into a period of anxious defending.

Charleroi II, meanwhile, entered the contest seeking to recalibrate after a bruising run that included four losses in their last five, across both league and reserve competition. Their 1-0 win at Crossing Schaerbeek offered a glimmer of hope, but most recent results, including a 1-3 loss at Westerlo U21 just 24 hours prior, suggested deeper vulnerabilities. Early in the second half, those anxieties threatened to surface again—Rochefort probed for a second, and Charleroi II’s attacking moves broke down in the final third.

But just after the hour mark, the tenor of the match changed abruptly. Charleroi II began to push higher and move the ball with increased urgency, testing Rochefort’s defensive organization. The breakthrough arrived in the 66th minute, Charleroi II finding their equalizer after sustained pressure. The scorer’s name remains unknown, but the goal owed much to a renewed sense of purpose from the home side, who pinned Rochefort back and attacked with width.

Buoyed by the goal and a restlessness in the stands, Charleroi II struck again only five minutes later. The 71st-minute winner, coming from another determined foray into the Rochefort area, turned the match on its axis and left Rochefort reeling. Again, the identity of the scorer is unconfirmed, but the sequence underscored Charleroi II’s capacity for rapid transformation—a side, perhaps, with more resilience than recent results have suggested.

Rochefort, desperate to salvage a point, poured forward in the closing stages. Their efforts were rewarded in the 90th minute, as they netted a late goal that set up a frenetic finish. Ultimately, though, the final whistle arrived before the visitors could muster an equalizer, and Charleroi II celebrated a win that could mark a turning point in their campaign.

This victory is significant for Sporting Charleroi II not merely as a morale boost, but as a potential inflection point in their season. The win halts a run of disappointing results and provides a template for future success—tenacity, tactical adjustment, and clinical finishing in the decisive moments.

For Rochefort, the defeat is a setback, albeit not a disastrous one. With six points from five matches, they remain firmly ensconced in the crowded middle of the table, but the manner of the loss—surrendering a lead and conceding twice in five second-half minutes—will sting. They have shown their capacity to rally late, as evidenced by their stoppage-time heroics in earlier matches, but consistency remains elusive.

Looking ahead, both teams face a season poised on a knife’s edge. For Sporting Charleroi II, Sunday’s comeback is a statement of their potential to disrupt expectations in the First Amateur Division. For Rochefort, the path forward will demand greater defensive resolve and a return to the form that produced back-to-back wins in September.

With the campaign still young, the First Amateur Division promises further drama. For now, Charleroi II’s spirited rally stands as the weekend’s defining performance—a reminder that in football, no script is ever truly set.