Poor form and injury kept Huntington Beach’s Sacha Kljestan out of RSC Anderlecht’s lineup for two months, but the former Chivas USA midfielder made the most of his return to the field.

Kljestan (Huntington Beach HS), who left Chivas to join the Belgian champion in June, went the full 90 in Les Mauves et Blancs’ 3-0 triumph Thursday over AEK Athens in the UEFA Europa League and 2-0 league victory Sunday against Westerlo. It was his first action for the Brussels-based club since he scored in a 3-0 league win at Lokeren on Aug. 21.

“It took me some time to adapt to Belgium,” Kljestan told Belgian Flemish-language newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. “At the start of the season, I did play, but I didn't do enough. Now I'm no longer afraid to try things.”

Kljestan started three of Anderlecht’s first four games, scoring a goal in his debut, a 3-1 win over Wales’ The New Saints in a UEFA Champions League qualifier, but the appearance against Lokeren was it since -- until Thursday.

“The last couple of weeks I've been working hard in practice,” Kljestan told Het Nieuwsblad. “My confidence grew. [Assistant coach Besnik Hasi] devoted a lot of time to me.”

He said he’d found out only a couple of hours beforehand that he’d be in Les Mauves’ 4-3-3 alignment, and he responded with a strong performance highlighted by his shot to set up the 32nd-minute winner by Mbark Boussoufa, who finished the rebound after AEK goalkeeper Sebastian Saja parried Kljestan’s blast.

Kljestan was back on the field for the victory over Westerlo, which sent Anderlecht (7-2-3) to second place in the Jupiler League, five points in back of Racing Genk (9-1-2), the champs’ foe Saturday.

GOALS GALORE: A most productive week for local players, with four of them -- Maurice Edu (Etiwanda HS), Yura Movsisyan (Pasadena HS/Pasadena City College), Benny Feilhaber (Northwood HS/UCLA) and Matt Taylor (Irvine HS/UCLA) -- finding the net, Edu twice.

Edu scored Scottish champion Rangers FC’s goal and then an own goal for Spain’s Valencia in a 1-1 UEFA Champions League draw Wednesday, and he capped his week with 90 minutes in a 3-1 victory at fellow Glaswegians Celtic FC in the “Old Firm” derby, the world’s greatest sports rivalry. Kenny Miller scored his 12th and 13th league goals for Rangers (9-0-0), which opened a three-point lead on Celtic (8-1-0).

Movsisyan’s final-minute goal, his 14th in all club competition this season, wasn’t enough for Denmark’s Randers, which lost, 2-1, at Brondby. He’s scored 10 times in his last 12 games in all, including strikes in his last three appearances for Armenia’s national team.

A classy Feilhaber free kick helped AGF Aarhus past FC Fyn, 4-1, on Wednesday. He departed with a twisted ankle early in the second half of a 2-0 victory Sunday at Skive, which kept the club atop Denmark’s second-tier 1.Division.

Taylor outdueled Thomas Kraft in the box to score the second in Rot Weiss Ahlen’s 3-2 win Saturday at Bayern Munich II in Germany’s 3.Bundesliga.

ETC.: Saint-Etienne closed the gap on French Ligue 1 leader Stade Rennes without Carlos Bocanegra (Alta Loma HS/UCLA), who’s out for three weeks with a neck injury. Les Verts tied Caen, 1-1, but should have won -- Dimitri Payet, the top scorer in France’s top division (with eight goals), missed a last-minute penalty kick. … Michael Bradley’s Borussia Moenchengladbach is squarely in relegation zone. The club hasn’t won since August and has conceded 27 goals, nine more than the Bundesliga’s second-worst defense. … Brad Friedel’s shutout hopes in Aston Villa's match at Sunderland died on Richard Dunne’s record eighth career English Premier League own goal in a 1-0 loss. … Jay Denny set up a goal in Hednesford Town’s 9-0 English Southern League rout of Weymouth with a shot off the crossbar. … It’s “cup week,” with every top-tier Angeleno’s club in a midweek national cup clash. The most interesting matchup: Saint-Etienne’s round-of-16 Coupe de la Ligue showdown with Bordeaux.

• AREA PLAYERS IN EUROPE

D CARLOS BOCANEGRA (Alta Loma/UCLA)
Club: Saint-Etienne (France, Ligue 1)
Last week: Did not play, with neck injury, as the second-place Les Verts (5-2-2) on Saturday tied visiting Caen, 1-1
Season: 8 games (8 starts)
Next: Tuesday vs. Girondins Bordeaux in Coupe de la Ligue round of 16, Saturday at third-place Brest (5-2-3)

M MICHAEL BRADLEY (Manhattan Beach)
Club: Borussia Moenchengladbach (Germany, Bundesliga)
Last week: 90 minutes, with a 20th-minute yellow card, as Die Fohlen (1-5-3) fell to 17th with a 4-1 loss Saturday to visiting Werder Bremen
Season: 9 league games (9 starts) with 1 goal; 10 games (10 starts) with 2 goals in all competitions
Next: Wednesday vs. Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup’s second round, Saturday at 15th-place Kaiserslautern (2-6-1)

D JAY DENNY (Santa Monica)
Club: Hednesford Town (England, Southern League Premier Division)
Last week: 90 minutes as the seventh-place Pitmen (6-3-4) routed visiting Weymouth, 9-0, on Saturday
Season: 13 games (13 starts) in league play, 15 games (15 starts) in all competitions
Next: Tuesday at Boldmere St. Michaels in first round of Birmingham Senior Cup, Saturday at 20th-place Bedford Town (2-7-4)

M MAURICE EDU (Fontana)
Club: Rangers FC (Scotland, Premier Division)
Last week: 90 minutes, with a 34th-minute goal, 46th-minute own goal and a yellow card, as the Blues (1-0-2) tied visiting Valencia on Wednesday in UEFA Champions League Group C; 90 minutes in a 3-1 “Old Firm” victory at Celtic
Season: 9 league games (7 starts), 3 Champions League games (3 starts) with 1 goal; 12 games (11 starts) with 1 goal in all competitions
Next: Wednesday at Kilmarnock in Scottish League Cup quarterfinal, Saturday vs. fifth-place Inverness Caledonian Thistle (4-3-2)

M BENNY FEILHABER (Irvine/UCLA)
Club: AGF Aarhus (Denmark, 1.Division)
Last week: 90 minutes, with a goal in the 24th minute, as first-place Dettvie (9-0-3) routed visiting FC Fyn, 4-1, on Wednesday; started, played 50 minutes in a 2-0 victory Sunday at Skive
Season: 10 league games (10 starts) with 3 goals, 12 games (11 starts) overall with 6 goals
Next: Wednesday at Varde in fourth round of the Danish Cup, Sunday vs. third-place AB (6-1-5)

G BRAD FRIEDEL (Bay Village, Ohio/UCLA)
Club: Aston Villa (England, Premier Division)
Last week: 90 minutes, making one save, as the 10th-place Villans (3-4-2) lost, 1-0, Saturday at Sunderland
Season: 9 games (9 starts), 13 goals allowed, 36 saves, 3 shutouts
Next: Wednesday vs. Burnley in the fourth round of the League Cup, Sunday vs. 12th-place Birmingham (2-3-4)

M SACHA KLJESTAN (Huntington Beach)
Club: RSC Anderlecht (Belgium, Jupiler League)
Last week: 90 minutes as RSCA (1-2-0) beat visiting AEK Athens, 3-0, in UEFA Europa League’s Group G; 90 minutes as Les Mauves et Blancs (7-2-3) climbed to second with a 2-0 victory over visiting Westerlo
Season: 4 league games (3 starts) with 1 goal; 1 Europa League game (1 start); 7 games (6 starts) with 2 goals in all competitions
Next: Wednesday at URS du Centre in sixth round of the Belgian Cup, Saturday at first-place Racing Genk (9-1-2)

D DALLAS MOORE (Santa Monica)
Club: Halesowen Town FC (England, Southern League Premier Division)
Last week: Missed sixth and seventh games with a hamstring injury as the Yeltz (3-7-5) ended a nine-game losing streak in all competitions with a 0-0 draw Tuesday at Oxford City, then beat Didcot Town, 1-0, on Saturday
Season: 10 games (10 starts)
Next: Nov. 6 at 11th-place Swindon Submarine (3-3-6)

F YURA MOVSISYAN (Pasadena)
Club: Randers (Denmark, SAS-Ligaen/Superliga)
Last week: 90 minutes, scored in 90th minute, as Horses (2-4-7) fell to 11th Sunday with a 2-1 loss at third-place Brondby
Season: 13 league games (12 starts) with 5 goals, 20 games (17 starts) and 14 goals in all competitions
Next: Wednesday at Frederica in fourth round of Danish Cup, Saturday vs. 12th-place AaB Aalborg (3-7-3)

F MATT TAYLOR (Irvine/UCLA)
Club: Rot Weiss Ahlen (Germany, 3. Bundesliga)
Last week: Started, played 85 minutes, with goal in 29th minute, as 16th-place Rot Weiss (2-4-7) won, 3-2, Saturday at Bayern Munich II
Season: 7 games (7 starts) with 3 goals
Next: Saturday vs. second-place SV Wehen Wiesbaden (9-1-3)