Gent 2-0 Mechelen: Match Report, Goals, Stats and Ratings
Belgian Pro League Matchday 1 · Sunday 9 August 2026 · Planet Group Arena, Gent · referee E. Lambrechts · full time
Full time: Gent 2-0 Mechelen
Gent won 2-0 at home to Mechelen in Belgian Pro League Matchday 1 on Sunday 9 August 2026. The goals: Tiago Araújo 37', José Mendieta 45'.
How Gent won it
Gent struck first through Tiago Araújo in the 37th minute. José Mendieta made it 2-0 to Gent in the 45th minute, set up by Momodou Sonko.
It was 2-0 at half-time, and nothing changed after the break.
The referee, E. Lambrechts, showed 1 yellow card: 0 to Gent and 1 to Mechelen.
Gent: R. Demil, 3-4-2-1 · Mechelen: F. Vanderbiest, 4-2-3-1.
Moneyball's prediction against the result
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Why it went this way
On the day the expected goals were 0.41 for Gent and 1.53 for Mechelen.
Gent scored about 1.6 more than their chances were worth: clinical finishing, or a goalkeeper having a bad day.
Mechelen left about 1.5 goals' worth of chances on the pitch.
Mechelen created the better chances, 1.53 xG to 0.41, and still lost. On chances alone, the result could easily have gone the other way.
Gent had 8 shots on target, Mechelen 2.
Mechelen's goalkeeper made 7 saves.
Gent had 53% of the ball and turned it into the win.
Where the two sides stood before this match
Gent came into it with 11 Belgian Pro League matches played, scoring 1.8 and conceding 0.6 a match, with 1.54 expected goals for and 1.03 against, and had won 82% of their matches.
Mechelen came into it with 11 Belgian Pro League matches played, scoring 1.2 and conceding 1.8 a match, with 1.10 expected goals for and 1.58 against, and had won 27% of their matches.
Gent vs Mechelen: the match in numbers
| Gent | Match statistics | Mechelen |
|---|---|---|
| 53% | Ball possession | 47% |
| 0.41 | Expected goals (xG) | 1.53 |
| 15 | Total shots | 5 |
| 8 | Shots on target | 2 |
| 2 | Big chances | 0 |
| 516 | Total passes | 462 |
| 85% | Pass accuracy | 83% |
| 4 | Corners | 1 |
| 11 | Fouls | 11 |
| 1 | Offsides | 1 |
| 25 | Tackles | 12 |
| 2 | Saves | 7 |
| 0 | Yellow cards | 1 |
Team statistics from Sportmonks.
Player ratings and man of the match
Man of the match: Nacho Miras (Mechelen), rated 8.0 by Sportmonks.
Gent
- Tiago Araújo 7.7 1 goal
- Momodou Sonko 7.6 1 assist
- Mouhamed Ngom 7.5
- Leonardo Lopes 7.3
- Tibe De Vlieger 7.3
Mechelen
- Nacho Miras 8.0
- Gora Diouf 6.8
- Dennis Praet 6.7
- Malcolm Lohunanu-Mbasi 6.7
- Cedric Van Meirvenne 6.7
The lowest-rated starter was Moncef Zekri at 6.1. Ratings run from 0 to 10; around 7.0 is a solid match.
What comes next
- Gent: SK Beveren vs Gent Sunday 22 November 2026 · Belgian Pro League
- Mechelen: Mechelen vs Club Brugge Saturday 21 November 2026 · Belgian Pro League
Each preview has Moneyball's estimate for the next match, published before kick-off and marked against the result afterwards, as this one is.
Questions about Gent vs Mechelen
What was the score in Gent vs Mechelen?
Gent 2-0 Mechelen (half-time 2-0), Belgian Pro League, Sunday 9 August 2026.
Who scored in Gent vs Mechelen?
Tiago Araújo 37', José Mendieta 45'.
Did Moneyball predict Gent vs Mechelen correctly?
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Who was man of the match in Gent vs Mechelen?
Nacho Miras, rated 8.0 by Sportmonks.
Who refereed Gent vs Mechelen?
E. Lambrechts.
Every match, before and after
Moneyball writes a preview with its estimate before every match of Europe's top five leagues and the European cups, then marks it against the result, hits and misses alike.
Moneyball is a football statistics site. No model predicts football reliably: every figure is an estimate.