BIAŁYSTOK, Poland (Interstat) — Anderlecht rode a first-half breakthrough and a decisive second-half surge to a 3-0 victory at Jagiellonia on Thursday, turning a tight early contest into a comfortable road result. Mihajlo Cvetkovic opened the scoring in the 21st minute, Marten Winkler doubled the lead in the 72nd, and Jayden Onia Seke added the third in the 80th as the visitors pulled away. The visitors scored once before halftime and twice after the break, capitalizing on their chances while keeping Jagiellonia off the scoreboard. The win moved Anderlecht to 1-1 in the competition and 3-2 across all competitions. Jagiellonia dropped to 1-1 in the competition and 6-8 overall.

Cvetkovic’s opener gave Anderlecht the lead after a cagey opening. He played 78 minutes and finished with one goal. Winkler, who played 82 minutes, made it 2-0 with a 72nd-minute strike that forced Jagiellonia to chase. Onia Seke, on the field for 25 minutes, scored the third in the 80th minute and was booked in the 81st. Enric Llansana also played 25 minutes and had two assists, and he was yellow-carded in the 71st. Cvetkovic’s 21st-minute finish set the tone for Anderlecht, which led at halftime despite Jagiellonia’s attempts to press forward. Winkler’s goal in the 72nd gave the visitors breathing room, and Onia Seke’s late finish removed any doubt.

Jagiellonia’s efforts to respond were disrupted by discipline issues. Conceicao was booked in first-half stoppage time, and Vital and Kozlowski were shown yellow cards in the 53rd and 67th minutes, respectively. Anderlecht’s Aasgaard was booked in the 46th minute, Llansana in the 71st and Onia Seke in the 81st. The sequence of cards reflected a match that grew more physical as Jagiellonia chased the game. The cards added to a physical second half, but Jagiellonia could not find a goal against Anderlecht’s controlled defensive effort.

Anderlecht’s scoring sequence proved decisive. After Cvetkovic struck in the 21st minute, Jagiellonia tried to stabilize before halftime, but the visitors retained their advantage. The second goal arrived in the 72nd minute through Winkler, and the third came eight minutes later from Onia Seke. Llansana’s two assists underlined Anderlecht’s ability to create chances in transition and from set sequences. The visitors managed the closing stages without conceding, securing a clean sheet and a second competition result after an earlier loss.

Jagiellonia made a series of substitutions to change the match. Finndell came on in the 46th minute, and Jozwiak and Szmyt entered in the 65th. Anderlecht responded with changes of its own at that same mark, bringing on Ambros and Degreef. Jagiellonia’s Klynge entered in the 77th, while Anderlecht’s Stroeykens and Cvetkovic came off in the 78th. Winkler was replaced in the 82nd, and Jagiellonia’s Prelec entered at the same time. Jagiellonia used its changes to seek a spark, while Anderlecht’s substitutions helped protect the lead and see out the result. The substitutions did not alter the flow enough for the hosts to mount a comeback.

The result gave Anderlecht a split of its first two competition matches and a 3-2 overall record. Jagiellonia, meanwhile, settled at 1-1 in the competition and 6-8 across all competitions. Anderlecht’s previous results included a loss at Dinamo Zagreb and a setback at Beerschot VA, but the visitors produced a more complete performance on Thursday. Anderlecht’s overall mark includes wins over Reims and Cercle Brugge KSV, along with losses to Dinamo Zagreb and Beerschot VA. Jagiellonia’s overall record includes wins against Suduva, Slask Wroclaw and Rakow, but the hosts have also dropped several league and cup results. Jagiellonia had won 3-1 against Ararat-Armenia in its previous competition match but could not carry that attacking form into this home fixture.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Jagiellonia 2, Anderlecht 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Anderlecht with an 81.5 percent probability to win. Anderlecht had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.25. The total score of 3 went under the over/under line of 2.5.