KV Kortrijk 0–2 Zulte-Waregem | Pro League | 6 September 2026

Result Summary

A dramatic Sunday afternoon at the Guldensporenstadion ended in heartbreak for KV Kortrijk as Zulte-Waregem snatched a hard-fought victory with two stoppage-time goals. The match was goalless for virtually its entire duration, only for substitutes Akpa Chukwu Hemsley (90+3') and Átrók István Zalán (90+5') to settle the contest in devastating fashion. Michael Beale's Zulte-Waregem side showed admirable composure to punish a depleted Kortrijk outfit and claim all three points.

Match Analysis

For the vast majority of this contest, very little separated the two West Flemish rivals. Possession was split evenly at 50% apiece, and both sides registered six corners each — a reflection of how closely matched the teams were through the opening exchanges and into the second half.

Zulte-Waregem did carry a marginally greater attacking threat throughout, generating 114 attacks to Kortrijk's 90 and registering 12 total shots compared to nine from the home side. Their five shots on target versus Kortrijk's three also gave them a slight edge in terms of genuine goal threat, though neither goalkeeper was truly overworked for long stretches.

The match's pivotal moment arrived at the 62nd minute, and it had nothing to do with goals. Rok Štorman was dismissed following a VAR review for a professional foul as the last man, reducing Kortrijk to ten men. Compounding matters, a second red card was issued to another Kortrijk player in the same minute, leaving Michiel Jonckheere's side with a severe numerical disadvantage for the final half-hour. That double blow effectively handed Zulte-Waregem the initiative at a crucial stage of the game.

The match had already been fractious before those dismissals. Franz Tangala and Marley Ake both collected yellows for Zulte-Waregem before half-time, while Anosike Ementa and Laurent Lemoine were also cautioned in the second half. Harrison Murray-Campbell received Kortrijk's first booking at 55'. The ill-tempered closing stages saw further cards for Thierry Ambrose and Rudy Kohon — the latter dismissed for violent conduct in the sixth minute of added time — as well as Enrique Lofolomo on the Zulte-Waregem side.

It was Beale's substitutions that ultimately proved decisive. Malick Mbaye, introduced at half-time, supplied the assist for the second goal, while Akpa Chukwu Hemsley, brought on just five minutes from time, broke the deadlock in the third minute of stoppage time. Two minutes later, Átrók István Zalán — himself a second-half substitute — wrapped up the win with Mbaye's creative contribution again central to the move.

Prediction Review

Our pre-match forecast had called for a Zulte-Waregem victory at 41.5% probability, with a predicted scoreline of 1–2. The outcome — a 0–2 away win — validated the direction of our analysis, marking the prediction as correct, though the manner of the victory (two injury-time goals against a reduced Kortrijk side) underscored the uncertainty reflected in our confidence rating of 50/100. The match played out as a competitive, tight affair for most of its duration, consistent with the closeness suggested by our probability estimates.

Key Takeaways

• Zulte-Waregem's bench won this game: Hemsley, Zalán, and Mbaye all played decisive roles after coming on as substitutes.
• Kortrijk's red cards were fatal: Two dismissals in the 62nd minute shifted the balance of the match irreparably.
• The statistics told a story of narrow margins — Zulte-Waregem had more key passes (8 vs 5) and more dangerous attacks (54 vs 44), edges that eventually told in the closing minutes.