SUNDAY 17TH AUGUST 2014
FC GRONINGEN 3 – 1 HERACLES
Edwin van der Looi’s FC Groningen continued their winning ways in the Eredivisie with a comfortable 3-1 win over Heracles Almelo writes Will Burns.
Van der Looi named the same side that defeated Go Ahead Eagles 3-2 last weekend as Heracles coach Jan de Jonge selected on-loan striker Denni Avdic, signed from AZ this week, in for Thomas Bruns for the team that were badly beaten 3-0 at home to AZ last Saturday.
The hosts exploded out of the blocks and found themselves a goal up within eight minutes. The three-pronged attack of Jarchinio Antonia, Tjaronn Chery and Danny Hoesen looks like it could be a formidable one this season for Groningen and Hoesen and Chery combined to make it 1-0. Nick van der Velden threaded a lovely ball through to Hoesen which split the Herqacles defence and Hoesen sprayed the ball across the sodden grass into the path of Chery to finish past goalkeeper Dennis Telgenkamp.
Michael de Leeuw replaced the injured Rasmus Lindgren on 33 minutes and then found himself on the scoresheet just two minutes later. Maikel Kieftenbeld hit a 30-yard through ball for De Leeuw to run onto and he finished with ease to double Groningen’s lead.
Moroccan playmaker Ilaiss Bel Hassani looked like Heracles’ best chance of scoring and he did just that with an individual effort on 57 minutes.
Any chance of Heracles comeback was short lived as Yoёll van Nieff slotted home Groningen’s third and final goal on the hour mark with an excellent free-kick from outside the area.
Heracles look like a team in major trouble and De Jonge must get his team to winning ways as soon as possible, starting next week at home to Cambuur.
TEAMS
GRONINGEN: Padt, Hiariej, Botteghin, Kappelhof, Van Nieff (Van der Laan 64), Lindgren (De Leeuw 33), Chery, Kieftenbeld, Van der Velden (Hateboer 83), Hoesen, Antonia.
SUBS NOT USED: Van der Vlag, Islamovic, Hagenauw, Saban.
GOALS: Chery 8, De Leeuw 35, Van Nieff 61.
BOOKINGS: Van der Laan 68.
HERACLES: Telgenkamp, Schenkeveld, Aktaou, Zomer, Te Wierik, Sibum (Pelupessy 46), Bel Hassani, Fledderus, Linssen, Avdic, Tannane (Gyasi 64).
SUBS NOT USED: Fij, Bruns, Weghorst, Cziommer, Engberink.
GOALS: Bel Hassani 57.
BOOKINGS: Schenkeveld 62.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Eric Botteghin (FC Groningen)
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