Anderlecht clinch title in Belgium

A 3-1 win against KSC Lokeren OV proved enough to ensure a 33rd Belgian championship for RSC Anderlecht, who edged R. Standard de Liège and Club Brugge KV to the title.

An Aleksandar Mitrović header put Anderlecht in front on 19 minutes, but Hamdi Harbaoui equalised from the spot 11 minutes after the interval. Anthony Vanden Borre and Koen Persoons were dismissed three minutes apart as both sides were reduced to ten men, and Chancel Mbemba restored the home lead on 59 minutes, before Dennis Praet sealed the win and a third title in a row for the Paars-wit.

Anderlecht had been 10 points behind leaders Standard after the 30-game regular season, with the deficit cut by half when the league split into four for the run-in. With assistant Besnik Hasi taking over from Dutch head coach John van den Brom in March, the eventual champions clawed back the deficit by ending the season with five successive wins, including victories against their nearest rivals, to finish two points clear.

"This is a great feeling, but it is hard to take in right now," said Albanian coach Hasi. "The team's performance was enormous. In a short time, we were really able to form a team, and our mentality changed big time."