It’s a name that Standard supporters who experienced this match have never forgotten: Stegen Mert. Two passages that resonate like a memory of a tense, nervous and painful evening for the people of Liège. in 2006,just promoted, Zulte Waregem He travels to Slijesen for the first leg of the Belgian Cup semi-final and Stijn Mert will be one of the key players alongside Sergio Conceição.
On March 21, in Liège, everyone is convinced that Zolty might have been the best possible draw. The team were certainly the revelation of the season in the Championship but these Roche had more than the means to overcome them. Except that nothing turned out as it should. Between Nathan Demers’ opening score early in the game and Tony Sergeant’s winning goal at the end of the game, a volcano erupted, a Portuguese volcano lit by Mert.
Insults, spitting, and a shirt on the referee
After quickly falling behind 0-1, Standard cannot afford to let the game slip away, but Zolty are a tough opponent. Sergio Conceição, Liège’s captain, looked very nervous during the match and Stijn Meert took the opportunity to take him out of the game. “I don’t regret what I did. I wasn’t a good guy. I was a winner and I did everything to win. “Including pushing to get the other team down to 10,” Mert told La Derniere Heure a few years ago. My direct opponent and I felt like he was about to explode.”
A lover of small talk, Stijn Mert pushes the Portuguese to the limits and is the victim, a few months before Zinedine Zidane, of a real collapse. The Portuguese literally spits in Flanders face. The assistant referee does not miss anything from the scene and warns referee Peter Verfken, who shows the (logical) red card to the RSCL club captain. Conceição did not stop there, as he took off his shirt and shoved it in the face of the man in black before leaving the field shirtless.
This incident helped create a real rivalry between Standard and Zulte Waregem while Stijn Meert is perhaps one of the most hated players in Sclessin. A pitch he will soon find again given the former player is now coach of Harelbeke, which Standard will host on Wednesday in the Belgian Cup.
There is no doubt about losing
Fans are sure to give Mert and Harelbecki a warm welcome, especially after the past few weeks have seen Roche regain their league form and hold on to important wins against Brugge and Anderlecht. . The cup could also be a goal for Liégeois and Harelbeke cannot be an insurmountable obstacle.
Follow the Kroki Cup match between Standard and Harelbeke live on Wednesday 1any November at 8:30pm on RTL Club.
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