Gent loses its perfect record after six matchdays in the Jupiler Pro League following a 1-1 draw against Racing Genk on Saturday, 13 September 2026. The Gent side, led by coach Rik De Mil, took an early lead through a goal from Momodou Sonko in the 10th minute, assisted by Tiago Araújo. Shortly after halftime, Rafiu Durosinmi struck for Genk with his fifth league goal of the season, making him the sole top scorer in the competition after six games.
The first thirty minutes were exactly as De Mil wanted: controlled and purposeful. "The first 30 minutes we played as we want to. After that we became too sloppy, giving away simple balls." After the break, Genk took control of the game and Gent struggled to regain the same grip. Durosinmi capitalised on a quick break and finished calmly after a pass from Junya Ito.
Jess Thorup, head coach of Racing Genk, disagreed with the result and felt his team was superior in the final hour. "This is not a correct scoreline. If you look at the last hour, we were by far the best and most dangerous team." He pointed to chances from Kayembe, who hit the post, and the work of Adedeji-Sternberg, who provided two assists.
For Gent, the draw ends the 100% record, but the team remains second with 15 points from five matches, one point behind leaders Union Sint-Gillis. The defence conceded only their third goal of the season, while goalkeeper Roef made several key saves, including a double save and a stop on a shot from Erenbjerg.
Delorge prevented a larger deficit by clearing a ball off the line for Genk, while Afriyie and Heynen were involved in defensive actions for the home side. A foul by Lopes on Heynen led to a free kick, but it came to nothing.
Gent played this match as part of a busy spell, with recent wins over Cercle Brugge (0-3), OH Leuven (1-0) and Club Brugge (2-1), and a goalless draw against Hibernian (0-0) in the Europa League. The team has kept seven clean sheets in twelve matches this season, including European fixtures.
Next up is a home fixture against Standard Liège on 18 September 2026, a side currently sitting sixth. Gent will look to rekindle their challenge at the top, with a match that could prove key in the title race.
