Rangers loanee Thelo Aasgaard captured the headlines in Belgium on Saturday night by scoring a sensational 30-yard free-kick in Anderlecht’s 4-1 victory over KVC Westerlo, but local media response has proven surprisingly mixed.

Having waited nine appearances and 523 minutes of action to break his goalscoring duck for the Brussels outfit, Aasgaard stepped up in first-half stoppage time to bend a magnificent set-piece into the net.

Rangers loanee Thelo Aasgaard for ‘clumsy’ error after free-kick stunner

While outlets praised the aesthetic beauty of his strike, several journalists refused to turn a blind eye to Aasgaard’s 81st-minute lapse in concentration.

Relaying the match live, national broadcaster Sporza noted how quickly the mood shifted, commenting:

A consolation goal for Westerlo after all. Aasgaard clumsily loses the ball, allowing [Nikola] Storm to run away with it. His shot deflects off [Andrew] Omobamidele’s foot and loops over a helpless [Colin] Coosemans.

French-language publication L’Avenir awarded Aasgaard a modest 6.5/10 rating, noting that while his set-piece was among the finest of his career, his overall performance remained flawed.

He too scored one of the finest goals of his young career. His free-kick was perfect, unlike the rest of his first half… but he is the one who foolishly loses the ball leading up to Westerlo’s late goal.

Similarly, major outlet Le Soir (7/10) praised his elegant style as a box-to-box midfielder but highlighted that he remains “sometimes a bit nonchalant“ when managing low-risk phases of play, referring to his late error that led to a goal.

While Het Nieuwsblad gave him a 7/10 rating, not all reaction was critical. Voetbal Krant awarded him a team-high 7.5 rating, highlighting his “refined one-touch backheels, technique, vista, and composure on the ball” as being in the finest traditions of Anderlecht football.

Yet the recurring frustration surrounding Aasgaard’s concentration levels mirrors some of the debate that accompanied his loan departure from Ibrox.

While the Rangers loanee possesses undisputed individual brilliance capable of turning matches, Belgian pundits remain adamant that he must eliminate “clumsy” errors if Anderlecht are to activate their option to buy him permanently next summer.