Bongonda brace, Onuachu goal lead Genk past Royal Excel Mouscron

Genk continued with their hot streak in the Belgian First Division A by defeating Royal Excel Mouscron 4-1 in Sunday’s clash.

A second-half brace from Theo Bongonda and one goal from Paul Onuachu helped the Smurfs stroll past Jorge Simao’s side at the Luminus Arena.

Having played nine games without a win, Royal Excel Mouscron came into the encounter with the ambition of ending their poor run.

They looked poised to achieve that when they raced into the lead after 34 minutes through Cape Verde international Nuno Da Costa. Left unmarked in the hosts’ area, the Nottingham Forest loanee headed Marko Bakic’s delightful cross past goalkeeper Danny Vukovic.

On the stroke of half-time, Junya Ito levelled matters – firing a low shot past Burkina Faso goalkeeper Herve Koffi – thanks to an assist from Daniel Munoz.

John van den Brom’s men came out stronger in the second-half and took the lead in the 55th minute through Belgium youth international of Congolese descent Bongonda. The youngster breezed into the goal area of the visitors before a simple shot that left Koffi stranded.

It was the turn of Onuachu to find the back of the net eight minutes later after firing home a rebound from Koffi off Ito’s shot.

Bongonda wrapped up the win with his brace in the 81st minute as Mouscron were punished for awful defending.

While Bongonda was in action from start to finish, Onuachu was substituted for compatriot Cyriel Dessers with three minutes left to play, while Cote d’Ivoire’s Eboue Kouassi was not listed for the five-goal thriller.

For Simao's team, Koffi, Da Costa, Cameroon’s Jean Onana and Morocco's Saad Agouzoul saw every minute of action. Cameroonian midfielder Fabrice Olinga was replaced in the 55th minute by Beni Badibanga, whereas, Senegalese defender El Hadji Gueye, Cote d'Ivoire's Kouadio-Yves Dabila and Angola's Capita were not listed for the encounter.

Victory for Genk means they have now won their last five games in the competition to occupy the third spot in the log after garnering 25 points from 13 outings. On the other side, Royal Excel Mouscron sit at the base of the log with just three points from 10 fixtures.