AS Eupen vs La Calamine

Eupen took control inside the first 10 minutes. Sulejmani opened the scoring in the 10th minute, converting after a well-worked move. The 22-year-old striker doubled the lead in the 27th minute, finishing clinically to put the Pandas 2–0 up.

La Calamine reduced the deficit four minutes before half-time. A penalty was awarded and Thielen stepped up to convert from the spot, making it 2–1 at the break.

Eupen made a raft of second-half substitutions — 10 changes in total, starting with Igor Plastun replacing Rune Paeshuyse at half-time and followed by nine more on the hour mark — which disrupted the rhythm. La Calamine, who had also made wholesale changes at the interval, could not find an equaliser despite a solid defensive display.

The penalty awarded to La Calamine in the 41st minute shifted the momentum just before half-time. Having been outplayed for the opening half-hour, the D2 Amateurs side suddenly had a route back into the match. However, Eupen's deep squad rotation in the second half — introducing players like Logan Delaurier-Chaubet, Nicolas Gavory and Theo Marechal — provided enough defensive stability to see the game out.

Aron Sulejmani — The match-winner with a brace (10', 27'). Sulejmani, who joined Eupen from Belisia Bilzen on a professional deal shortly after this match, showed sharp movement and finishing that impressed manager Felice Mazzu and the technical staff.

Gaël Criminisi — The Eupen goalkeeper was solid in the first half and was replaced by Louis Van Aubel in the 65th minute as part of the planned rotation.

La Calamine defence — Despite the scoreline, the visitors' defensive organisation, marshalled by Jordan Remacle's men, limited Eupen to just two goals despite sustained pressure from a side two divisions higher.

The provider data shows a 2–1 scoreline with all three goals arriving in the first half. The 10-minute gap between Sulejmani's 10th-minute opener and his 27th-minute second suggests a period of sustained Eupen pressure. La Calamine's penalty in the 41st minute was their only shot on target that troubled the scorers. Eupen's 10 second-half substitutions inevitably broke the flow of the game; no further goals were scored after the break, which may reflect the disrupted rhythm as much as La Calamine's defensive resilience.

This was Eupen's third pre-season fixture under Felice Mazzu, who took charge in the summer. The Pandas, preparing for the 2026–27 Challenger Pro League season, face KVC Westerlo away on 18 July, followed by U23 opposition on 22 July and a trip to FC Wiltz 71 on 25 July. Their league campaign begins on 15 August away at Jong Genk.

For La Calamine, newly promoted to D2 Amateurs, this was their first pre-season match under coach Jordan Remacle. The side, which has undergone significant squad overhaul with several new arrivals, continues preparations with further friendlies in the coming weeks before the D2 ACFF season starts.

A routine pre-season win for Eupen against lower-division opposition, notable chiefly for Sulejmani's eye-catching double. The volume of substitutions in the second half means the result tells us little about Mazzu's preferred XI, but the attacking intent in the first half-hour was a positive sign. La Calamine, with a much-changed squad, can take encouragement from keeping the deficit to one goal.