BRUSSELS (Interstat) — Substitute defender Brandon Mechele scored in the sixth minute to give Anderlecht a 1-0 victory over rival Club Brugge in the Belgian First Division A on Sunday at Lotto Park.

The early goal, coming from an unlikely source, was enough to decide a tense and ill-tempered contest that saw 10 yellow cards issued. The result gave Anderlecht a winning start to its domestic campaign while handing Club Brugge an immediate setback.

The match’s lone goal arrived from a set piece. A corner kick delivery into the box was met by Mechele, who had just entered the match, and he directed his header past the Club Brugge goalkeeper. The assist was credited to Lucas Hey, an Anderlecht defender.

The goal defied the pregame projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 2-1 victory for Anderlecht. The same analytics system gave Anderlecht a 70.6 percent probability of winning the match.

Following the early strike, the game settled into a physical battle with numerous interruptions. Club Brugge struggled to mount a consistent offensive threat against a disciplined Anderlecht defense, which successfully protected its narrow lead for the remainder of the contest.

The physical nature of the match was reflected in the officiating, with nine different players shown yellow cards. The first half saw three cautions, with Club Brugge’s Christos Tzolis and Anderlecht’s Hugo Siquet and Lucas Hey all booked between the 31st and 42nd minutes.

The second half saw the card count escalate, with seven more players cautioned. The flurry included yellow cards for Anderlecht’ Joel Ordóñez, Adriano Bertaccini, Mario Stroeykens, Mihajlo Cvetković, Thorgan Hazard and Raphael Onyedika, who was booked in the third minute of second-half stoppage time.

With the victory, Anderlecht begins its First Division A season with a record of one win and zero losses. Club Brugge starts with zero wins and one loss. The records also stand as both clubs’ overall record across all competitions for the season.