Zulte-Waregem Steal It in Stoppage Time: KV Kortrijk's Misery Continues with 2-0 Derby Defeat
SportSignals Match Desk · Football analysis desk ·
KV Kortrijk 0-2 Zulte-Waregem. Belgian Pro League. Sunday 6 September 2026.
That is what four straight defeats does to a football club. It hollows you out. And then, just when you think you have ground out a point, two goals arrive in stoppage time to remind you exactly where you stand. KV Kortrijk were beaten 2-0 at home by Zulte-Waregem, with Hemsley Akpa-Chukwu and Zalán Átrok scoring in the 90th minute to complete a ruthless late collapse. It was unacceptable. End of.
A Match That Promised More Than It Delivered
For large portions of this game, Kortrijk were the more active side. They had 12 total shots to Zulte-Waregem's nine. They put eight shots inside the box compared to their opponents' three. They created two big chances and missed none. On the surface, the numbers suggest a team that competed. The thing is, competing and converting are two different things entirely, and Kortrijk could not do the second when it mattered.
Zulte-Waregem, meanwhile, were canny. They kept 72 per cent of their play in safe areas. They made 14 interceptions to Kortrijk's seven. They were disciplined, organised, and when their moment came they took it twice in the space of two minutes of added time. That is the difference between a side with standards and a side that is sliding.
The Kortrijk Meltdown in Numbers
You want to understand how bad things are at Kortrijk right now. Four matches in the Belgian Pro League before this one. Four defeats. One goal scored. Ten conceded. A clean sheet percentage of zero. That is not a bad run. That is a structural problem with desire and accountability at this football club.
Against Zulte-Waregem they picked up five yellow cards and generated a chaotic atmosphere in the second half that helped no one. Anosike Ementa was booked for an argument in the 57th minute. Laurent Lemoine followed for the same reason in the 63rd. That tells you everything about the mental state of this group. They were losing the game in their own heads long before they lost it on the scoreboard. Franz Tangala went in the 35th minute for a foul. Marley Aké followed in the 42nd. The discipline was nowhere near acceptable.
Enrique Lofolomo then picked up a booking in stoppage time, again for an argument, as the wheels came completely off. When a team starts arguing with officials instead of organising and competing, you have got a mentality problem. Simple as that.
Zulte-Waregem Arrive in Form
Listen, credit where it is due. Zulte-Waregem came into this match on the back of three wins and two draws from their last five Belgian Pro League outings, with no defeats. They had scored ten goals and conceded four across those five games. They arrived with confidence. They knew what they were doing.
Rok Štorman picked up a VAR-upgraded card in the 62nd minute, which added to the chaos of the second half. Two of their players were substituted off in the 76th minute as the manager managed the game intelligently. Thierry Ambrose collected a late booking for an argument in the added time drama, but by then it did not matter. The points were theirs. Akpa-Chukwu, who had only come on as a substitute in the 85th minute, grabbed the first in the 90th minute assisted by Anosike Ementa. Átrok, introduced in the 66th minute, added the second moments later with Malick Mbaye providing the assist. Two substitutes. Both on the scoresheet. In two minutes of stoppage time. Against a team that could not hold out for a draw.
The Kortrijk Substitutions Told Their Own Story
The manager made four changes across the match. Malick Mbaye came on at half-time for Serxho Ujka, suggesting the first half was not working. Átrok and Benoit De Jaegere arrived in the 66th minute, with Franz Tangala one of those hooked. Hemsley Akpa-Chukwu came on in the 85th minute. The irony is bitter. The two men brought on to make an impact did exactly that. Just not for Kortrijk. They were Zulte-Waregem players who punished a Kortrijk side that had lost its shape, its composure, and ultimately its chance of a point.
The stats show equal possession, 50-50, across the whole match. Both sides attempted six corners each. Kortrijk had more shots inside the box. The thing is, none of that matters if you concede twice in stoppage time because your mentality is shot and your basics are nowhere near good enough.
What Needs to Change at Kortrijk
Four Belgian Pro League matches. No wins. No draws. One goal for. Ten against. The goals for column says everything. Kortrijk have shown almost no ability to put the ball in the net. Before this defeat they had scored only once in their previous four league outings, and that goal came against Sporting Charleroi in a 3-1 loss.
Against Zulte-Waregem they had the efforts. They had 12 shots, five on target, eight inside the box. But they could not score when the game was there to be drawn, and they ended up losing it in the most damaging way possible. A late equaliser you can live with. Being made to look naive and disorganised in added time, with five yellow cards and two goals conceded after the 90th minute, that eats into a dressing room. It eats into confidence. It eats into accountability.
The attitude in this group needs examining. The arguments with officials, the late capitulation, the inability to hold a defensive shape when the game is on the line. These are not technical problems you solve with a training drill. They are problems of character and standards.
Zulte-Waregem will travel home satisfied. They were professional, organised, and clinical when the opportunity arrived. KV Kortrijk remain winless, and on this evidence the hard questions are only going to get louder.