Lawrence scores first goal for new club

National defender Kemar 'Taxi" Lawrence scored his first goal for his Belgian club RSC Anderlecht on Sunday, powering them to a 3-1 win over Standard Liege to keep them in the hunt for a place in the championship play-offs.

The 28-year-old Lawrence got Anderlecht's second of the game in the 71st minute, unleashing a long-range drive from outside the penalty area which gave Liege goalkeeper Arnaud Bodart no chance. Francis Amuzu scored the opener for Anderlecht in the 23rd minute, and Dauda Mohammed wrapped up the points for the away side in the fourth minute of stoppage time after being put through on goal by Amuzu.

The win puts Anderlecht on 45 points, one point adrift of fourth-place Oostende, who are on 46 points with five games left to play in the regular season. After a difficult start to life in Belgium, Lawrence has made 14 appearances for the league this year, 13 of those in the starting 11, including the last six games. He reportedly did not return to preseason training last May because of personal reasons, which caused him to miss the first seven games of the new campaign. However, he returned to training in September and was named in the 18 for their October 4 clash with defending champions Club Brugge.

Since then, he has been a key selection for manager Vincent Kompany and has served as the team captain for two matches last January, including their 3-0 win over Charleroi, which included Lawrence's national teammate Shamar Nicholson.

CAMPAIGN

Lawrence signed a two-and-a-half-year contract in January 2020 but was not able to make his debut in the previous campaign, as the season was brought to a close because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Nicholson's championship play-off hopes took a major hit after Charleroi lost 2-1 to Genk on Friday. The top four teams will contest the championship play-offs, where the league championship will be determined. Anderlecht's next game will be home to ninth-place Mechelen on Sunday.