Brugge in seventh heaven

Club Brugge KV confirmed themselves as 'Herbstmeisters' - champions of the first half of the season - with a 3-1 home win against Eerste Klasse strugglers RAEC Mons.

Suray sending off
Mons always faced an uphill struggle against the runaway leaders and captain Olivier Suray's dismissal for bringing down Boško Balaban on 19 minutes was the worst of starts. Timmy Simons converted the spot-kick before second-half strikes from Gaëtan Englebert and Gert Verheyen sealed a seventh win in a row. Nicolas Goussé scored Mons late consolation from the penalty spot.

Dindane strike
The result means that Brugge are now seven points clear with only two games remaining until the winter break. RSC Anderlecht are still second after Aruna Dindane's 75th-minute goal earned a 1-0 win at KFC Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen.

Late drama
R. Charleroi SC moved to third after a last-minute strike from Nasredine Kraouche gave them a 2-1 win at FC Brussels. Fritz Emeran had given the home side the lead with a free-kick on 24 minutes but Izzet Akgül soon equalised. Both sides had chances after then but the game looked to be heading for a draw until Kraouche's late intervention.

La Louvière loss
KAA Gent leapfrogged RAA Louviéroise into fourth after grinding out a 1-0 win in a close contest at the Tivoli stadium. An early Tjorven De Brul header proved enough for George Leekens' side to take all three points and force La Louvière down to sixth. KRC Genk are fifth after easing to a 3-0 victory against K. Lierse SK with Koen Daerden, Dimitri De Condé and Brian Priske all scoring second-half goals.

Standard victory
The match between R. Standard de Liège and KSK Beveren also ended 3-0 as Beveren capped off a miserable week following their elimination from the UEFA Cup on Thursday. Karel Geraerts headed Standard into a 20th-minute lead before Winston Curbelo and Sambegou Bangoura sealed the win in the last 20 minutes. Standard remain sixth, four points clear of KSC Lokeren OV, who edged a 1-0 win against bottom side KV Oostende.

Zewlakow hat-trick
The most emphatic victory of the weekend came at R. Excelsior Mouscron where the home side shocked KSV Cercle Brugge 6-0 to move to 12th, one place behind their opponents. Patrice Noukeu, Francisco Sanchez Davolio and Geoffrey Claeys were all on target while Marcin Zewlakow scored a hat-trick. Meanwhile, KVC Westerlo came from behind to defeat K. Sint Truidense VV 2-1 at the Kuipje stadium.