Belgium round-up: Surprise defeat for Brugge

Leaders Club Brugge KV suffered only their second defeat of the season at the weekend but still hold a 14-point advantage over rivals RSC Anderlecht.

Mendoza consolation
Brugge, who had won their last eleven league games, slipped to a surprising 2-1 home defeat at the hands of lowly R. Charleroi SC
, with Gregory Dufer and Jean-Paul Boeka-Lisasi giving the visitors a two-goal lead inside the first 20 minutes. The hosts pressed hard in the second half and pulled a goal back through Andres Mendoza five minutes after the interval. However, second-bottom Charleroi held firm and secured three valuable points in their bid to escape the relegation zone.

Three points for Anderlecht
Anderlecht closed the gap following their 2-1 victory at R. AEC Mons. An Olivier Doll own goal gave Mons the lead on 36 minutes, but the hosts were left to rue several missed chances by striker Cédric Roussel. Nenad Jestrovic equalised after 57 minutes before Ki Hyeon Seo scored the winner mid-way through the second period.

Lokeren keep pace
Third-placed Sporting Lokeren St-Niklaas Waaslan, just a point behind Anderlecht, put five past a struggling KAA Gent at the Daknamstadion. Paul Put's side took the lead through Icelandic striker Arnar Gretarsson after only four minutes, before Kenyan John Machethe equalised on the half-hour mark. Gretarsson restored Lokeren's advantage on the stroke of half-time and second-half goals from Sambegou Bangoura (2) and Marel Baldvinsson completed the scoring.

Fassotte the hero
K. Lierse SK remain fourth, level on 52 points with Lokeren, after a 1-0 home win over R. Excelsior Mouscron. Laurent Fassotte scored the game's only goal after 63 minutes to give Emilio Ferrera's side maximum points at the Lisp stadium. KRC Genk are fifth, a further seven points adrift of the leaders, after a 4-1 win at KSK Beveren. Stéphane Demets opened the scoring with an own goal after five minutes, and Moumouni Dagano, Wesley Sonck and Kevin Vandenbergh added to the scoring after the break.

Djokic at the double
Elsewhere, K. Sint Truidense VV stayed sixth with a 1-0 home win against R. Antwerp FC, while two goals from Igor Djokic helped KFC Lommelse SK to a comfortable 4-1 victory over bottom-placed KV Mechelen. KFC Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen are still in relegation trouble after Ole Martin Aarst's strike gave R. Standard de Liège a single-goal victory in Antwerp, while RAA Louviéroise and KVC Westerlo played out a goalless draw at the Tivoli stadium.