KRC Genk has only partially tanked in the run-up to the Supercup next Saturday. In their preparation match with AZ Alkmaar, John Van den Brom's troops had to allow a 1-1 draw. Cyriel Dessers took care of the Genk goal.
Van den Brom opted for a strong base team against AZ, although there was little to do in the Luminus Arena in the first twenty minutes. Afterwards, both teams took some more initiative. Paul Onuachu was stopped, as was a shot from Mike Tresor. On the other side, Maarten Vandevoordt had to roll up his sleeves a few times, without performing miracles.
After the break, Genk slowly pulled the sheet towards him, even between the many substitutions. A corner kick first resulted in a free header from Dessers, which was nicely parried. Joseph Paintsil hit the rebound in the rebound, but the linesman was right to see offside. On the other side, the light suddenly went out with Jay-Dee Geusens, who played back badly. However, Ernest Poku left the gift unwrapped.
The signal for Genk to increase the tempo a bit. Nevertheless, something went wrong with the last pass, including a free cross by Luka Oyen. Less than fifteen minutes before the end, the opportunistic way turned out to be the most successful: the AZ defense had doubts on a long ball, but Dessers obviously did not. The sniper rounded the goalkeeper and simply scored the first goal.
Still, Genk had to settle for a draw. First Vandevoort had to stretch to the limit on a low slider. It turned out to be only a postponement of execution, because AZ still equalized in the very last attack. A cross did not get away, after which Thijs Oosting shot in hard, via Vandevoordt's hand and the sleeper. Immediately afterwards, the referee blew his whistle. Small downer for Genk, which will compete against Club Brugge for the Supercup on Saturday.