Anderlecht wins 28th Belgian title

Brussels:

Anderlecht won its 28th Belgian league title by beating Zulte-Waregem 3-0 on Friday. Second-placed Standard Liege's title challenge ended when it lost 2-0 at home to AA Ghent. Defending champion FC Brugge beat Racing Genk 3-0 to ensure third place in the standings and entry into the UEFA Cup. Lamine Traore and Hannu Tihinen scored for Anderlecht and Frederic Dindeleux conceded an own goal for the easy victory which gave Anderlecht the title, its second in three seasons. Standard Liege led the race a month ago but allowed Anderlecht back in the title race when its Portuguese star Sergio Conceicao was suspended for the rest of the season last month for attacking a referee. "We deserved the title. We just proved we were the best,'' said defender Olivier Deschacht. It was the last game for Par Zetterberg of Sweden, who celebrated his retirement at 35 with another title for Anderlecht. After 34 games, Anderlecht finished with 70 points, five more than Standard. FC Brugge had 64. (AP)