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After a stunning victory in the last game of the season against "Zulte Waregem", the Brussels team Anderlecht won the Belgian champions title for the second time in the last three years and the 28th time in the club's history.
Before the final round, the Liege team Standard, trailing by two points, still had hopes of winning the gold medals, but Anderlecht secured a 3-0 victory, while the Standard players themselves suffered defeat against Gent with a score of 0-2.
However, Standard still managed to surpass last year's champions and earn a spot in the Champions League third qualifying round. Next season, the Bruges team will have to settle for competing in the UEFA Cup, where they will join the winner of the Belgian Cup final between Waregem and Mouscron Excelsior, and Gent, who finished fourth in the league, will play in the Intertoto Cup.
In his debut season as champion of the country, Anderlecht coach Frank Vercauteren said that despite possible losses, he hopes to perform well in European cup competitions next season: "For the next season, we will focus on the Champions League and try to perform well in Europe. We will lose a few players, some key players, probably four or five, so we need to work well before the season and quickly replenish with new players."
The match in Brussels was the last for Anderlecht captain Pär Zetterberg, who has been playing for the Belgian team since 1985. The former Swedish national team player contributed to all three of his team's goals and was substituted in the last ten minutes of the match. The 26,000 spectators in the stadium and all the players bid him farewell with applause.
"Tears came to my eyes from the start of the match, it was very emotional for me and my family. This club was my life and always will be," said Zetterberg, who will work as a scout after ending his career with Anderlecht.
The last round of matches tragically ended for the Lierse club, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, as despite a narrow victory over Roeselare, they will have to play additional matches for survival against three second division teams, as Beveren team snatched three points in the 88th minute in a match against Excelsior, surpassing their opponent by one point to avoid relegation.
Final standing in the Belgian Jupiler league: (Position, Team, Played, Won, Drawn, Lost, Goals, Points) 1. Anderlecht 34 20 10 4 72-27 70 (CL) 2. Standard 34 19 8 7 51-28 65 (CL) 3. Club Brugge 34 18 10 6 51-33 64 (UEFA) 4. AA Gent 34 18 7 9 48-34 61 (Intertoto) 5. Racing Genk 34 16 9 9 48-38 57 6. Zulte-Waregem 34 14 7 13 51-49 49 7. Lokeren 34 12 11 11 48-48 47 8. G.B.A 34 13 8 13 45-45 47 9. Brussels 34 12 10 12 30-30 46 10. Westerlo 34 13 7 14 42-47 46 11. Charleroi 34 11 12 11 39-39 45 12. Roeselare 34 10 11 13 44-42 41 13. Cercle 34 10 8 16 37-56 38 14. Excelsior M 34 11 4 19 43-43 37 15. Sint-Truiden 34 8 10 16 36-49 34 16. Beveren 34 9 6 19 34-55 33 17. Lierse 34 8 8 18 22-52 32 (Additional matches) 18. La Louviere 34 4 14 16 26-52 26 (Relegated)
