BRUSSELS (Interstat) — Royale Union SG scored five times and defeated Cercle Brugge KSV 5-2 at home on Sunday, with Relebohile Mofokeng delivering a goal and an assist. Union SG built the win with a decisive second-half run and took advantage after Cercle Brugge KSV was reduced to 10 men. Royale Union SG scored twice in the final 10 minutes of regulation to pull away. Royale Union SG is now 1-0-1 in the competition and 3-0-2 across all competitions. Cercle Brugge KSV is now 0-2 in the competition and 1-2 across all competitions.

Mofokeng was Royale Union SG’s top star with one goal and one assist over 90 minutes. Massire Sylla also played the full match and scored once. Raul Alexander Florucz scored in 81 minutes, Kevin Rodriguez scored in 24 minutes off the bench, and Nikki Havenaar, Louis Patris and Denzel De Roeve each supplied an assist. Mofokeng’s assist was one of four assists recorded by Royale Union SG in the game. Steve Ngoura scored for Cercle Brugge KSV, played the full match and received a yellow card. Cercle Brugge KSV scored twice, while Royale Union SG’s five-goal total was built on the efforts from Florucz, Sylla, Mofokeng and Rodriguez.

The key passage came in the second half. Florucz opened the scoring for Royale Union SG in the 49th minute. Sylla added another Union SG goal in the 62nd minute. In the 64th minute, Cercle Brugge KSV’s Denzel Vanzeir was sent off, leaving the visitors to finish with 10 men. Vanzeir’s red card was the only dismissal of the match. Royale Union SG then extended its lead through Mofokeng in the 80th minute and Rodriguez in the 90th minute. Cercle Brugge KSV answered with two goals of its own, including Ngoura’s strike, but could not close the gap. Ngoura was cautioned in the second minute of second-half stoppage time.

Royale Union SG’s Chibani N. received a yellow card in the 40th minute. Cercle Brugge KSV’s Konate V. was booked in the 57th, van der Bruggen H. in the 76th and Ngoura S. in second-half stoppage time. Royale Union SG made a halftime substitution involving Chibani and brought on Aquino D. in the 66th minute. Florucz R. was replaced in the 81st minute, and Patris L. and Van De Perre K. came off in the 89th. Cercle Brugge KSV made substitutions in the 63rd, 71st and 85th minutes, with Akinsola T. entering in the 63rd, Diakite I. and Manneh A. in the 71st, and Le Roux L. and Konate V. in the 85th. Konate V. was replaced in the 85th minute after his earlier booking.

Cercle Brugge KSV entered the match after a win at Hasselt and a loss to Anderlecht in recent action. Royale Union SG had recently beaten H. Beer Sheva 4-0, defeated Nijlen 3-0 and drawn with Real Sociedad and Leuven. Mofokeng’s recent outings included an assist against H. Beer Sheva and a full match against Real Sociedad. Rodriguez scored off the bench for Royale Union SG, while De Roeve contributed an assist in 44 minutes. Royale Union SG also received 89 minutes from Patris and a full match from Havenaar. Cercle Brugge KSV’s Ngoura remained on for the full match and scored before his late booking.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Royale Union SG 2, Cercle Brugge KSV 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Cercle Brugge KSV with a 68.4 percent probability to win. Royale Union SG had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 7 went under the over/under line of 3.5.