Frank Acheampong played 90 minutes on Sunday as Anderlecht were bested 3-1 by Standard Liege in the Belgian Championship play-offs.
The domestic heavyweights qualified for the play-offs after finishing third in the regular Jupiler League season. The Purple and Whites are now competing against five other teams in a mini-league for the right to be crowned Belgian champions.
The team’s points from the original campaign were halved (and rounded up) before the start of the play-offs, meaning that their defeat to Standard leaves Anderlecht on 32 points having played two of their 12 play-off matches.
Their aspirations of winning the domestic title were dealt a blow after a heavy defeat to their Liege rivals—who finished fourth, four points behind Anderlecht over the 30-game Belgian campaign.
Anderlecht will be disappointed not just with the loss but also with the manner of the defeat.
Nigeria striker Imoh Ezekiel opened the scoring on 21 minutes, before doubling both his and his side’s tally midway through the second half.
Any hopes Anderlecht had of a revival were ended on 62 minutes when former Wolverhampton Wanderers man Geoffrey Mujangi Bia added a third.
After a brief encouraging performance as a substitute against Charleroi last weekend, Acheampong was installed in the starting line-up, but wasn’t able to change the outcome of the match.
The defeat leaves Anderlecht third in the playoff table, two points behind leaders Club Brugge and two ahead of their vanquishers Standard.
Next up for the Brussels-based club come the group leaders, who they welcome to the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium on Sunday.
Acheampong featured for Buriram United in Thailand for two years before moving to Belgium in 2013.
He recently featured for Ghana—at left-back—during the Black Stars’ international friendly defeat to Senegal, and also started—this time in an offensive role—in the draw with Mali.
He was named in Avram Grant’s squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, making three appearances as Ghana claimed the silver medal.
