Saïd’s Early Strike, Abid’s Early Exit: Standard Liege Clings to Vital Win Amid Rising Pressure
On a brisk night in Liège, where shadows stretch early and points have not arrived often enough, Standard Liege found fleeting light and desperately needed resolve. An audacious first-minute strike from Rafiki Saïd proved just enough as the ten men of Standard clung to a 1-0 win over Royal Antwerp, halting a slide and—the statistics are stark—shuffling both clubs to an uneasy parity in the lower half of the Jupiler Pro League standings.
Few in the Stade Maurice Dufrasne were seated when Saïd sent the home crowd into raucous celebration. Barely 50 seconds had ticked by as Thomas Henry carved open Antwerp’s back line, threading a pass that Saïd met with an angled run. His finish, low and unerring past Jean Butez, was Standard's answer to weeks of frustration—an emphatic punctuation before the match narrative had even begun to unfold.
That early euphoria would soon collide with the weightier realities plaguing both squads. As the contest settled, it became clear that neither side arrived in Liège with any wind at their backs. Standard, fresh from consecutive league defeats to Anderlecht and Club Brugge, had collected just one win from their previous five matches—an anemic return that saw them slide perilously close to the relegation scramble. Antwerp, winless in their last five as well, arrived in only marginally better spirits: a side drawing too many games, losing edge at both ends, and finding the net with similar rarity.
Yet for all their recent struggles, both teams began brightly enough. Antwerp relished the lion’s share of possession—64 percent to Standard’s 36—but struggled to puncture a defense determined to atone for recent lapses. The visitors created opportunities: ten shots matched Standard's tally, but only three troubled goalkeeper Matthieu Epolo. The hosts, on their part, matched them for effort and urgency, but lacked cohesion after the break.
The night’s pivotal twist came eleven minutes from halftime. Adnane Abid, already on a yellow, lunged into an unnecessary challenge at midfield. Referee Nathan Verboomen reached for red; Standard, a goal to the good, now faced more than fifty minutes a man down. Abid's ejection transformed the evening from a potential resurgence into a war of attrition. Liege retreated, absorbed pressure, and wagered all on their early goal. The nerves were palpable: every Antwerp foray saw defenders and fans alike holding their breath, each clearance met with a mixture of relief and apprehension.
Antwerp pressed, desperate to capitalize, but found Standard’s makeshift rearguard as stubborn as fortune had been fickle. Rosen Bozhinov and Mauricio Benitez—Antwerp’s recent scorers amidst otherwise fallow runs—found no path through. The visitors’ best chance fell to substitute Zeno Van Den Bosch, whose late snap-shot was palmed away decisively by Epolo, preserving three points that felt—if not fully deserved—painfully earned.
If the result injects fleeting hope into Standard’s campaign, it also reflects the continued turbulence for both. The league table tells the truth neither club wishes to face: tied on eleven points from ten matches, Standard in 12th and Antwerp only two rungs below, both are mired in the same struggle—two storied Belgian sides living in the shadow of faded form, their European ambitions fading rapidly beneath the grind of autumn.
This victory, Standard’s third of the season, offers more respite than momentum. Their home record against Antwerp in recent years had been poor—just one win and one draw in the previous four meetings at Sclessin, with Antwerp often emerging the more clinical side. Tonight, fortune favored the beleaguered hosts, but questions of consistency and discipline remain.
For Antwerp, the narrative is one of mounting frustration. Five points dropped from their last three matches; just two wins in ten attempts. Mark van Bommel’s men controlled much of the ball but failed, once again, to convert pressure into points—a recurring theme in their listless campaign.
As the final whistle echoed, the relief was tangible but subdued. For Standard Liege, this was less a statement of revival than a reminder that the margins at the bottom are as thin as anywhere in Belgium’s top flight. Their next fixtures will determine whether this gritty, short-handed victory is the start of a home resurgence or merely a pause in the downward drift.
For Antwerp, the questions deepen. The goals are too few, the wins rarer still, and the season threatens to slip further from their grasp unless they find answers—and soon. Both sides, level on points and ambition frustrated, find themselves glancing anxiously upwards, wary of the gathering storm below.