Seth De Witte: “If you see how we start, it’s below par.Geel was far better in the match, and won the duels. I had the feeling that we were outclassed. Perhaps we’d underestimated Geel a bit, but if you see that they take points off of Antwerp and Tienen, then you know that this is no easy match. To give it away in such a lax manner though, that’s enormously frustrating.”

You personally played a decent match:
Seth De Witte: “I’m a player who relies on fighters mentality. If you look at the league table before the match, then you know that you have it all in your own hands. That gives you encouragement, but apparently that wasn’t sufficiently motivating for some lads. Also for the hundreds of Lierse fans here it must be a downer. We played a home match and yet couldn’t give these people what they deserved.”

It was 1-1, but then what seemed to be the winning goal fell in the final minutes, at least that’s what everyone thought:
Seth De Witte: “When Geel managed to make it 1-1, everyone suddenly seemed to realise what it meant. We moved up a gear and created a few chances. We made it 1-2 and then you feel the relief flowing through the whole stadium. But then a few seconds from the end you give it away. Personally I was severely disappointed last year with a dismal performance against Conceiçao as direct opponent, but to collectively fail is much harder to take.”

Must Lierse now not make calculations, and say that if you draw 2-2 vs a relegated team, you don’t deserve to be in the play-offs?
Seth De Witte: “Yes, no really! If you want to make your ambition reality, then you must at least come and win here.You don’t have to come here and give a football lesson, but a performance like this makes you question! Now you don’t have it in your own hands again, and let others move away, and others move closer to you. We’ve messed it up today, and the manner in which we did is unbelievable, but especially enormously disappointing.”

Pictures of the Match/Players.
Pictures of the Supporters

Chris Janssens, Lierse drew 2-2 at Geel, a disappointing result with moreover poor football!
Chris Janssens: “Indeed, Geel did everything as they should. They played well as a unit, won the 50-50 balls, and played with an enormous amount of movement. I had the impression that Geel was still playing for a place in the play-offs rather than Lierse. You go 0-1 up, but if you then see what happens in the second half. There was a lot of space, but I had the impression that we only played with 6 men. They got back on level terms with a beautiful free kick, but as you then make it 1-2 a few minutes from the end, I find it incomprehensible that you still give the victory away.”

The 1-2 was an enormous relief, everybody who was for Lierse went bezerk!
Chris Janssens:”Yes, first the keeper fumbled my header away for a corner. The corner landed at my feet, I put the ball into the crowd and Jarju hit it in.When there’s only 2 minutes left to play, you have to be able to just play the game out.The 3 points would have been robbed, but I wouldn’t have lost sleep over it. Now I’m feeling pissed off!”

Really only a few of the lads played well, yourself and De Witte, for the rest it was weak
Chris Janssens:”It’s not for me to pass judgement, but it’s a fact that we have a shortage of lads who can carry the team. That cost us dearly today.”

The dropped points are costly, because you could have put Antwerp under pressure
Chris Janssens:”For the first time this season we could have been in a play-off position, but then you give it away in such a ridiculous manner.That’s very frustrating. I’ve not been in the dressing room yet, and that’s probably for the best, otherwise I’d say things which two minutes later I’d regret.

Now Antwerp are 5 points clear, and it will be very difficult
Chris Janssens:”Now we have to win next week against Hamme, and hope that Antwerp drop points at Doornik.
But Virton are also not out of it. If two dogs are fighting over one bone, the third can walk off with it maybe!