EUPEN, Belgium (Interstat) — Virton scored twice in the second half and held off Eupen for a 2-1 victory in a football match on Sunday at Kehrwegstadion. Jean Claude Ntenda put Virton ahead in the 58th minute, and Ihab Goudani doubled the lead in the 79th minute. Eupen answered through Ba Muaka Simakala, but Virton protected its advantage the rest of the way. Virton finished with two goals and Eupen with one. The result left Virton with 1 win and 2 losses in this competition and 2 wins and 3 losses across all competitions. Eupen moved to 5 wins and 3 losses in this competition and 7 wins and 4 losses across all competitions.

Ntenda played the full match and scored one goal for Virton, the most prominent performance in the match. Simakala played 82 minutes and scored Eupen’s goal. Goudani played 87 minutes and scored once before being substituted. Abdelsamad Hachem played the full match and recorded one assist for Virton. Virton’s Tormin received a yellow card in the second minute of stoppage time, the only booking listed in the match. Ntenda’s statline was 90 minutes and one goal, Simakala’s was 82 minutes and one goal, Goudani’s was 87 minutes and one goal, and Hachem’s was 90 minutes and one assist.

The visitors opened the scoring after a competitive first half. Neither team scored before the 58th minute. Ntenda’s 58th-minute breakthrough gave Virton the lead, and Goudani’s 79th-minute finish stretched the advantage. Simakala’s goal gave Eupen hope, but Virton kept the hosts from finding an equalizer. Eupen made substitutions involving Delaurier-Chaubet in the 63rd minute, Muller and Youndje in the 72nd, and Fixelles in the 82nd. Simakala was also involved in a substitution in the 82nd minute. Virton made substitutions involving Assengue in the 72nd, Goudani in the 87th and Wade in the 90th.

Eupen entered the match after a 2-1 home loss to Beerschot VA and a 5-1 loss at KV Mechelen. Earlier in the season, Eupen had beaten Anderlecht U23 2-0, Alemannia Aachen 3-1, Merelbeke 1-0, FC Liege 3-1, Patro Eisden 2-1, Club NXT 1-0 and Jong Genk 4-1. Eupen had also lost 2-1 at Sporting Lokeren. Virton had lost 3-1 at Seraing, 2-0 to Genk, and 4-3 to Hasselt before beating Oostkamp 3-0 in its previous four matches. The visitors’ latest result improved their overall record to 2 wins and 3 losses, while Eupen’s overall mark stands at 7 wins and 4 losses. Before Sunday, Eupen had 7 wins and 3 losses across all competitions, and Virton had 1 win and 3 losses.

Eupen played at home but could not find an equalizer after Simakala’s goal. Virton’s two-goal burst in the second half proved decisive, and Eupen’s response came too late to force a draw. Tormin’s stoppage-time yellow card was the final disciplinary note. Eupen used five substitutions over the second half, while Virton used three. Eupen is next scheduled to face Lierse, followed by matches against Sp. Hasselt, Francs Borains, Seraing, Jong KAA Gent, FCV Dender, Club NXT, Beerschot VA, Patro Eisden and FC Liege.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Eupen 2, Virton 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Eupen with an 89.6 percent probability to win. Eupen had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1. The total score of 3 went under the over/under line of 2.75.