On a damp Saturday afternoon at Achter De Kazerne, St. Truiden produced a clinical late show to defeat KV Mechelen 3-1, leapfrogging their hosts in the congested Jupiler Pro League table and underlining their credentials as serious top-six contenders.

The contest began at a cagey tempo, both sides evenly splitting possession and probing for openings, but lacking the edge required to break the deadlock through the first hour. Despite Mechelen's home advantage and their commitment to playing through midfield, clear chances remained scarce. The statistics told a story of intent but inefficiency: Mechelen managed just three shots on target from 10 attempts, while St. Truiden's 19 shots forced six saves from Nacho Miras.

As fatigue and tension crept in, the game pivoted decisively in the 74th minute. A rare lapse in Mechelen's defensive discipline handed St. Truiden a penalty, coolly dispatched by substitute A. Muja—a breakthrough that visibly deflated the hosts and ignited the visitors. Mechelen pressed for a response, but the yellow and red shirts in the box found little joy against a St. Truiden defense marshaled by Shogo Taniguchi and Taiga Hata.

With Mechelen pushing numbers forward, gaps began to appear. In the 87th minute, midfielder Keisuke Goto capitalized, latching onto a perceptive pass from Rihito Yamamoto to double the lead. The move showcased both Goto's composure and Yamamoto's vision in midfield as the Truiden engine room asserted control in the game's decisive moments.

The hosts' resolve finally cracked deep into stoppage time, when St. Truiden's Argentine striker Andrés Ferrari capped off a swift counterattack—set in motion by substitute S. Jukleroed—to seal a three-goal cushion in the 90+5th minute. Lion Lauberbach's late consolation for Mechelen was not enough to alter the narrative of a match defined by St. Truiden's ruthlessness and Mechelen's costly lapses.

Discipline proved a subplot, with Mechelen collecting three yellow cards in a frustrating evening and St. Truiden only one despite robust defending. Each side completed nearly identical pass totals (Mechelen 383, St. Truiden 381), but it was the visitors' efficiency in the final third that made the difference.

For St. Truiden, the win extends their unbeaten run over Mechelen to seven matches and sends a message to their playoff rivals. Mechelen, meanwhile, must regroup after a performance that, while competitive in spells, ultimately fell short where it mattered most.

Key figures for the victorious visitors included Goto and Ferrari, each finding the net at crucial moments, while Yamamoto's dictation of tempo in midfield gave St. Truiden control in the game's business end. Mechelen's attacking spark was blunted, and coach Frédéric Vanderbiest will be concerned by both the lack of bite up front and the team's vulnerability under late pressure.

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