Sunday, September 4, 2022 at 15:38• Mart Oude Nijeweeme • Last update: 15:42

Jan Vertonghen made his long-awaited debut in the Belgian Pro League on Sunday afternoon. The Anderlecht defender came in the home game against OH Leuven ten minutes after the break, but could not prevent his team from losing expensive points: 2-2. Vertonghen had come second to Benfica under Roger Schmidt and for that reason completed his sentimental return to Belgium this summer.

Vertonghen had to make do with a reserve role at Anderlecht, as the three-man defense against Leuven was formed by Wesley Hoedt, Hannes Delcroix and Zeno Debast. The home team had a hard time and fell behind after twenty minutes of play. Jón Dagur Thorsteinsson showed his class by controlling a deep ball to the chest and finishing off the turn with a great volley. It turned out to be a lesson in effectiveness, as Anderlecht failed to reward themselves for the rain of chances.

After the break, coach Felice Mazzù’s team was sharp in front of the goal, when Julien Duranville graced his debut with a perfect shot into the corner: 1-1. The only sixteen-year-old attacker experienced a baptism of fire that will not soon be forgotten. Anderlecht then pushed on, but had to concede another goal fifteen minutes before the end. Musa Al-Taamari hit the target on a pass from Mathieu Maertens. Fabio Silva made sure that Vertonghen’s debut didn’t turn out to be a complete deception five minutes before the end: 2-2.