Category Archives: EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: Vitesse 2-2 SC Cambuur

August 16, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 16TH AUGUST 2014

VITESSE 2 – 2 SC CAMBUUR

After coming back from a goal down, Vitesse were left to rue missed chances as Bartholomew Ogbeche rescued a point for Cambuur with just a minute to go on Saturday evening.

Cambuur got off to a dream start with a goal within the first ten minutes to silence the 13,967 inside the GelreDome. Striker Michiel Hemmen evaded two challenges before striking an effort at goal, which took a wicked deflection off Arnold Kruiswijk before looping over Piet Velthuizen’s head to make it 1-0.

However, the lead did not last long as Vitesse found an equaliser through a deflection of their own on 19 minutes. Marko Vejinovic passed to Zakaria Labyad just before the midfielder approached the area and the former Sporting Lisbon playmaker fired towards goal as the ball flicked up off Lucas Bijker’s challenge. The ball ended up flying over the top of Leonard Nienhuis’ as the keeper managed to get a palm to the ball, but unable to stop it to level the scores.

Before half-time, Vitesse had turned the game on its head when they were awarded a penalty on 36 minutes by referee Eric Braamhaar after Valeri Qazaishvili was fouled by Mohamed El Makrini in the box. Labyad stepped up as Nienhuis dived in the opposite direction, as Vitesse took the advantage into the interval.

Cambuur keeper Nienhuis kept his side in the match with second half efforts from Chelsea on-loan pairing Bertrand Traoré and Wallace denied by the stopper. Ukrainian substitute Denis Oliynyk worked well to get himself into the area and skipped two challenges with just eight minutes of time remaining. The summer signing from Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk tried to place the ball under Nienhuis to seal the win, but the keeper got a leg underneath the shot to parry away.

Missing chances sometimes comes back to haunt teams and that’s exactly what it did to hosts. Former Middlesbrough striker Bartholomew Ogbeche scored his first of the season to grab Cambuur a great away point. When Velthuizen failed to fully stop Martijn Barto’s effort from a Dijkstra corner, the Nigerian forward smashed home the rebound to make it 2-2 and send the 300 Cambuur supporters go wild.

Vitesse are now without a league win in an nine-game stretch, there worst record since 2008. Facing immense pressure, Peter Bosz will need to improve things and quick.

TEAMS

VITESSE: Velthuizen, Wallace, Van den Heijden, Kashia, Kruiswijk, Vejinovic, Leerdam, Pröpper, Traoré (Olinyk 75), Qazaishvili (Dauda 90), Labyad

SUBS NOT USED: Room, Djurdjevic, Bosz, Achenteh, Diks

GOALS: Labyad 19 & 37P.

BOOKINGS: Pröpper 53, Velthuizen 90.

CAMBUUR: Nienhuis, Droste, Reijnen, Bijker, Andriuškevičius, El Makrini, Rusnák (Dijkstra 81), Bakker (Barto 64), Meleg (Schepers 56), Hemmen, Ogbeche.

SUBS NOT USED: Zeinstra, Pereira, Schokker, Man-Intosch.

GOALS: Hemmen 10, Ogbeche 89.

BOOKINGS: Ogbeche 4, Bijker 65.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Zakaria Labyad (Vitesse)

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EREDIVISIE: FC Dordrecht 1-2 PEC Zwolle

August 16, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 16TH AUGUST 2014

FC DORDRECHT 1 – 2 PEC ZWOLLE

A second-half stoppage time Mustafa Saymak winner gave ten-man PEC Zwolle a great 2-1 triumph away to FC Dordrecht this evening ahead of their first ever European clash against Sparta Prague this Thursday reports Will Burns.

Zwolle started the brighter of the two sides with Stef Nijland, again starting in a lone striker role going close on two occasions early on. However, it was an uneventful first half that saw few opportunities created and those that were, saw some poor finishing and neither keeper had a shot to save until five minutes from the break.

After a good interception from Ben Rienstra, the midfielder spotted young New Zealand winger Ryan Thomas breaking after on the left. Rienstra fed the 19-year-old the ball and Thomas finished by sliding the ball underneath the onrushing Filip Kurto.

The goalscorer went over on his ankle soon after the break and was subsequently subbed off for loan signing Tomas Necid from CSKA Moscow. The imposing 6ft 3 striker joined on Wednesday and looked lively with some good touches and great movement for a big guy.

The Czech forward nearly got himself a goal minutes after coming on, after the energetic Jody Lukoki crossed from the right, but Necid failed to connect with his header and the ball sprayed wide of the goal.

Zwolle’s victory looked in jeopardy with just ten minutes remaining when young referee Jochem Kamphuis produced his first ever red card for Bart van Hintum for a double booking. The second yellow was for a shirt pull on Rihairo Meulens.

Just moments later, the scores were level. Hero of last weekend’s win over Heerenveen, Joris van Overeem floated a ball into the area from the right and after some terrible defending by Zwolle the ball fell awardkly for Mart Lieder. The striker just made contact with his spot that fooled Diederik Boer in goal but his effort bounced off the foot of the far post. Giovanni Korte was on hand to punish the Zwolle defence to poke home the equaliser.

However, Ron Jans’ men would have the last laugh with the winning goal with the last kick of the game deep into stoppage time. From Boer’s goal kick, Nedic pressured the Dordrecht defence and carried the ball forward after the defender missed the headed clearance. Emerging into the area, Necid spotted Mustafa Saymak arriving on the edge of the box. The Czech laid the ball into the Saymak’s path who finished superbly for the win.

Zwolle with their third win in all three games of the season so far, their second in the league, nowprepare for Thursday’s Europa League match against Sparta Prague at the IJsseldelta Stadion.

TEAMS

DORDRECHT: Kurto, Fortes, Haddad, Troost-Ekong, Peersman, Ojo, Gosens, Lieder, Korte, Van Overeem, Pisas (Meulens 73).

SUBS NOT USED: Te Loeke, Alisic, Ten Voorde, Vet, Van Deelen, Van Haaren.

GOALS: Korte 81.

BOOKINGS: Troost-Ekong 19, Ojo 55, Meulens 90.

ZWOLLE: Boer, Van Polen, Van der Werff (Lam 64), Broerse, Van Hintum, Saymak, Rienstra, Drost, Lukoki, Nijland (Pereira 81), Thomas (Necid 56).

SUBS NOT USED: De Jong, Ioannidis, Dekker, Moro.

GOALS: Thomas 40, Saymak 90+3.

BOOKINGS: Van Hintum 70.

SENT OFF: Van Hintum 80.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Mustafa Saymak (PEC Zwolle)

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EREDIVISIE: FC Twente 2-2 ADO Den Haag

August 16, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 16TH AUGUST 2014

FC TWENTE 2 – 2 ADO DEN HAAG

It was an entertaining draw between FC Twente and ADO Den Haag with a couple of great goals, but sloppy defending was at fault for both sides. Either one of them could have taken the three points on the balance of the game, but a draw was a fair result in the end reports Jake Jackman.

FC Twente started the game very well, as some early pressure resulted in Kyle Ebecilio getting in behind the defence, but his effort was smartly saved by Hansen. The home side looked a lot brighter than they did in their opening weekend fixture as their passing looked more crisp and they looked like a team which could challenge near the top of the division. Kamohelo Mokotjo was making his first start for FC Twente and looked assured in midfield.

The home side continued to have the better of the play, but couldn’t find the final ball to create clear cut chances for Luc Castaignos, who should be one of the front runners to be top scorer of the Eredivisie this year. ADO Den Haag played the offside trap excellently in the opening passage of the game, catching their opponents offside frequently. Kasper Kusk came close to opening the scoring with a decent shot which forced a save from Hansen, before a free kick from Mokhtar also brought the goalkeeper into action. The pressure was building.

ADO Den Haag were thinking they could hold on until half time, but an excellent run from Mokotjo saw him exchange passes Ebecilio before slotting past Hansen. It was an excellent goal, and a show of individual skill from the South African. It was deserved, and the home side took a 1-0 lead into the break.

The second half started like the first did with all of the attacking coming from FC Twente, with Mokhtar looking very dangerous. Luc Castaignos had an early chance as he beat the offside trap, but the angle didn’t favour him and Hansen saved comfortably. Against the run of play, ADO Den Haag won a penalty after Michiel Kramer was fouled by Rasmus Bengtsson. Roland Alberg converted the penalty to equalise for ADO Den Haag. The home side nearly took the lead minutes later as Castaignos released Tim Holscher, but Hanson again made a good stop.

After the goal, ADO started to press more and get more of the possession. They took the lead in the 78th minute as Mike van Duinen headed home after his first attempt was saved, the chance came about after a strike from distance hit the post. FC Twente’s level dropped after the equaliser, therefore it wasn’t a shock to see them go behind.

It looked like ADO Den Haag would be able to hold onto the win, after defending excellently all match. However it wasn’t to be as Hansen punched the ball poorly straight to Shadrach Eghan the substitute, who fired the ball excellently into the bottom corner past the outstretched arm of the former Liverpool goalkeeper.

The home side had all of the momentum going into the final minutes of the game, as Torgeir Børven had a late chance, but he failed to score the winner. FC Twente will be disappointed they failed to win against ADO Den Haag, especially as the first goal was avoidable, but their level dropped from the first half, allowing the away side back into the game. The away side will be pleased with the point, but after having the lead, they will be disappointed they didn’t hang on after defending so well in the opening 45 minutes.

TEAMS

TWENTE: Marsman, Martina, Lachman, Bengtsson (Børven 83), Koppers, Mokotjo, Ebecilio, Hölscher (Eghan 66), Castaignos, Mokhtar (Ould-Chikh 82), Kusk.

SUBS NOT USED: Stevens, Schilder, Børven, Breukers, Andersen.

GOALS: Mokotjo 45+1, Eghan 86.

BOOKINGS: Mokhtar 41, Bengtsson 54.

ADO: Hansen, Malone, Zuiverloon, Wormgoor, Meijers, Alberg, Jansen, Kristensen, Houtkoop (Bakker 86), Kramer, Van Duinen.

SUBS NOT USED: Zwinkels, Kanon, Buwalda, Ebuehi, Owobowale, Merencia.

GOALS: Alberg 54, Van Duinen 77.

BOOKINGS: Alberg 79.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Kamohelo Mokotjo (FC Twente)

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EREDIVISIE: PSV 6-1 NAC Breda

August 16, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 16TH AUGUST 2014

PSV 6 – 1 NAC BREDA

A brilliant attacking display from Depay & Co. sends PSV to the top of the table as both Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum get braces with Jurgen Locadia getting one and Aleksandr Damcevski scoring an own goal while NAC’s star performer Adnane Tighadouini pulled one back for the away side while the game was still at 2-0. The six goals cover up a sloppy defensive display that would have been severely punished against top sides.

PSV came into today’s game knowing a win would send them top after Feyenoord could only draw last night against Heerenveen and the rest of the division were still to play. In their last game PSV beat Willem II 3-1 in a unconvincing performance while NAC Breda suffered a disappointing opening day draw at home against newly-promoted side Excelsior who are the type of team that NAC need to beat to avoid relegation. PSV started the game with a team all either 23 years old or younger which certainly bodes well for the future of PSV.

Before PSV’s first goal on 20 minutes the game was pretty even with both sides only having half-chances. PSV started very sloppily with players giving the ball away too often including left back Tamata who attempted a back pass which went out for a goal kick near the corner flag. Adnane Tighadouini of NAC impressed early on playing on the left side of a front three. He repeatedly got the better of Santiago Arias at right back and was probably the best player in the first half. The best early chance came from NAC’s new man upfront Kingsley Boateng who drove past a couple of defenders before trying an attempt from a tight angle which was well saved by Zoet.

Then came PSV’s first goal which was a result of a misplaced pass from Depay in the middle of NAC’s half, it was intended for Luuk de Jong but it went behind him and Wijnaldum ran into the box before taking it in his stride and slotting the ball home into the bottom right corner of the net. Then came a period of PSV domination in which PSV hardly left NAC’s half. The pressure paid off in the 25th minute when Depay passed to Arias who ran down the wing and crossed it low for de Jong, only for NAC debutant Aleksandar Damchevski to deflect the ball into his own net.

However, NAC did get themselves back into the game in the 29th minute when the impressive Tighadouini got on the ball and slid a pass through to Erik Falkenburg who was running clear before being brought down by a pull from Arias for a penalty. Tighadouini then stepped up to score the penalty, which brought the game into a more level playing field. Their goal was followed up quickly by two chances from Tighadouini who both times cut inside a poor Arias and attempted an effort into the top corner, one of which went just wide while the other was tipped over by Zoet.

The second half started off badly for NAC with Tighadouini had to come off in the 48th minute due to an ankle injury he had sustained in the early stages of the game. Just after the substitution Falkenburg had a great chance to bring NAC level with a close range effort that was well saved by Zoet. This was quickly followed by a brilliant free kick from Memphis Depay, exactly 21.3 metres out thanks to the on-screen graphics, which curled over the wall and into the right hand side of the net to send the home side two goals clear.

This beckoned the crumbling of the NAC defence, two minutes later Jurgen Locadia drove the ball into the top corner from outside the box after he was set up by a lovely deft De Jong back-heel. This was then followed by yet another goal, this time from Wijnaldum to make it 5-1, he received the ball in an area of space inside the box before lifting the ball into the corner of the net, unforgivable defending from NAC. Despite being 5-1 up and in a seemingly comfortable position PSV still appeared vulnerable to attack from NAC and had they been more accurate with their final balls they could’ve had a couple of goals.

In the 73 minute however Depay got his second from an almost identical free kick to his first to finish off the rout. This well and truly took the wind out of NAC’s sails and they barely threatened after this as the game wound down to the final whistle.

Overall, Phillip Cocu will be extremely pleased with his side’s attacking prowess but will be concerned at the ease in which NAC managed to create some of their attacks from the wing especially, both Arias and Tamata were substituted before the end after poor defensive performances.

TEAMS

PSV: Zoet, Arias (Hendrix 73), Bruma, Rekik, Tamata (Brenet 46), Wijnaldum (Vloet 78), Hiljemark, Maher, Locadia, De Jong, Depay.

SUBS NOT USED: Pasveer, Narsingh, Jozefzoon, Vloet, Ritzmaier.

GOALS: Wijnaldum 21 & 57, Damcevski 25OG, Depay 51 & 73, Locadia 53.

BOOKINGS: Arias 29.

NAC: Ten Rouwelaar, Ssewankambo, Drost, Damcevski, Amieux, De Kamps, Falkenburg, Matic, Hooi (Seuntjens 69), Boateng, Tighadouini (Sarpong 49).

SUBS NOT USED: Babos, De Roover, Sarpong, Suk, Swerts, Van der Weg.

GOALS: Tighadouini 30P.

BOOKINGS: None.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Memphis Depay (PSV)

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EREDIVISIE: Feyenoord 1-1 Heerenveen

August 15, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

FRIDAY 15TH AUGUST 2014

FEYENOORD 1 – 1 HEERENVEEN

The points were shared at De Kuip, despite Heerenveen having to play the last third of the match with ten men. Feyenoord are still adjusting to life without the stars of last season, but their start has been encouraging.

Despite having differing results on the opening weekend, there was little difference between the sides in the first half, as both sides had chances to take the lead. It was an entertaining start to the match as both sides had a good chance each within the opening ten minutes. Heerenveen forward Luciano Slagveer went on a powerful run through the opposition half, but his show sailed harmlessly wide. Feyenoord then had a chance of their own as the ball was fired across the box to Basacikoglu, who fired wide with a powerful drive.

The match was end to end, but neither side stayed calm in the final third, as they both struggled to create clear cut chances. It’s clear Feyenoord are missing the host of stars that were sold over the summer, while Jordy Clasie didn’t feature against Heerenveen, his future is far from certain.

In the final stages of the opening 45 minutes, the hosts came to life. They started to pass the ball with vigour in the final third and a nice interplay saw Tony Vilhena receive the ball on the edge of the area, his stinging shot was well saved by Nordfeldt. Moments later, Basacikoglu found space to deliver an excellent cross, but the resulting header from Mitchell te Vrede was pushed wide by the Heerenveen stopper. The momentum was building, yet Heerenveen nearly nicked a goal before half time on the break as Van Den Burg’s shot from long range was well stopped by Mulder and Uth could only head the rebound over the bar. Despite their late chance, the away side will have been pleased to make it to the break still level.

Minutes into the second half, powerful play from te Vrede allowed him to turn his marker after he controlled the ball from a throw in. The striker then scuffed his effort wide, however the strength showed was encouraging. Feyenoord continued to attack with purpose as Immers couldn’t control his effort goalwards after an excellent cross into the box from Boetius.

Heerenveen almost scored in the 60th minute after clever play from Slagveer to skip inside and hit a left footed shoot low past Mulder but the post came to the home side’s rescue. Then Van Den Burg received his second booking for a silly foul in the middle of the pitch, meaning Feyenoord were playing ten men for the second Eredivisie match in a row.

Yet it was the team with the numerical disadvantage which opened the scoring as Hakim Ziyech curled a free kick over the wall and past Mulder, who will have been disappointed to have been beaten by that strike. The home side quickly equalised after Schaken beat his man on the right wing, and put in a great cross, which was headed goalwards by captain Lex Immers, but it flicked off Te Vrede on the way in.

Feyenoord were in control of the game for the final half an hour, having lots of possession in the final third, Nordfeldt was forced into a save from Manu’s shot after the ball fell to the Feyenoord player in the box. Although Feyenoord continued to push, they couldn’t make their one man advantage count, unlike in their previous match, with Te Vrede coming closest to a winner after Nordfeldt saved smartly from his header.

Although they didn’t win, Feyenoord will be pleased with their four points from two games as the team starts to settle without the players who starred last season, with Mitchell te Vrede being a particular highlight, he looks like he could be set for a great season. Heerenveen will be relieved they hung on for a point in the end.

TEAMS

FEYENOORD: Mulder, Wilkshire, Van Beek, Mathijsen, Kongolo, Vormer, Immers, Vilhena, Basacikoglu (Schaken 57), Te Vrede, Boëtius (Manu 76).

SUBS NOT USED: Verhoek, Hahn, Nelom, Steenvoorden, Karsdorp.

GOALS: Te Vrede 70.

BOOKINGS: Vilhena 74.

HEERENVEEN: Nordfeldt, Marzo, Buijs, Van Aken, Van Anholt, De Roon, Van den Berg, Ziyech (Wildschut 83), Sinkgraven, Slagveer (Schmidt 87), Uth (Raitala 67).

SUBS NOT USED: De Fockert, Otigba, Thorsby, Dalgaard.

GOALS: Ziyech 67.

BOOKINGS: Van den Berg 13.

SENT OFF: Van den Berg 60.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Luciano Slagveer (Heerenveen)

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EREDIVISIE: Willem II 1-3 PSV

August 10, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST 2014

WILLEM II 1 – 3 PSV

Philip Cocu’s PSV was uninspiring away to Eredivisie new boys Willem II but still came away with a 3-1 win in the final game of the weekend.

PSV exploded out the blocks and harried Willem II into two defensive mistakes that resulted in two goals in the first ten minutes. First off, Kostas Lamprou making his debut for the Tilburg side since joining on loan from Feyenoord, dramatically rushed out of his goal on seven minutes to meet the ball a few yards outside of the area. After the keeper took an awful touch, the ball flick up in the air which allowed Jürgen Locadia to nod the ball out of the goalie’s path. The striker then aimed the ball towards goal and Jordan Peters hurried back but was unable to clear off the line and PSV were a goal ahead.

The lead was doubled minutes later after another horrific mistake. After a pass back went wrong from Robbie Haemhouts, Memphis Depay collected the ball twisted and turned the Willem II defence and place a low drive inside Lamprou’s post. The fans inside the Koning Willem II Stadion were booing, apart from the 500 PSV fans in the south east corner.

The Eindhoven side looked like they were going to go on a rout, however the Eredivisie newcomers collected themselves and put up a fight and even grabbed a goal back before the break. The exciting Terrel Ondaan got past Luuk de Jong on the right and fired in a low ball into the area. Brazilian striker Bruno Andrade collected the loose ball, spun his defender and finished from close range, a great goal.

The relegation contenders looked anything but after the goal as Cocu’s men were on the ropes and had Jeroen Zoet to thanks for retaining the lead. Before the break, the PSV keeper parried a great effort from long range by Ondaan.

After the interval, as the torrential rain came down, Willem II should have been level within eight minutes of the restart. Andrade whipped a vicious ball towards the back post from the right wing which Ben Sahar connected with his head and nodded back across goal. Belgian midfielder Stijn Wuytens was a metre out and headed the ball straight at Zoet, easy enough for the keeper to catch. A terrible miss by the former PSV midfielder.

Zoet held firm for the remainder of the game and PSV wrapped up the points with less than 15 minutes to go. Depay placed a perfect ball through to Georginio Wijnaldum in the area and the midfielder was tripped by Lamprou, who immediately received his marching orders from referee Kevin Blom. Depay easily dispatched the remaining penalty to seal the win.

TEAMS

WILLEM II: Lamprou, Peters, Ondaan (Vicento 67), Haemhouts, Messaoud, Andrade (Meul 75), Sahar (Ippel 80), D. Wuytens, Heymans, Cornelisse, S. Wuytens.

SUBS NOT USED: Heerkens, Vossebelt, Zanelli, Deckers.

GOALS: Andrade 40.

BOOKINGS: Messaoud 50, Andrade 61, Peters 68.

SENT OFF: Lamprou 73.

PSV: Zoet, Brenet, Bruma, Hendrix, Tamata, Maher (Ritzmaier 80), Wijnaldum, Hiljemark, Locadia (Narsingh 81), De Jong, Depay (Jozefzoon 85).

SUBS NOT USED: Pasveer, Arias, Vloet, Koch.

GOALS: Locadia 7, Depay 10 & 76P.

BOOKINGS: None.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Memphis Depay (PSV)

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EREDIVISIE: Go Ahead Eagles 2-3 FC Groningen

August 10, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST 2014

GO AHEAD EAGLES 2 – 3 FC GRONINGEN

In a five goal thriller, FC Groningen’s Jarchinio Antonia scored a late goal to defeat his former side Go Ahead Eagles as his side came from two down to win 3-2 at Adelaarshorst.

After seeing some many players move to bigger clubs, Go Ahead lost Jarchinio Antonia to FC Groningen last month which today would come back to haunt them. Surprisingly, they did manage to persuade Deniz Türüç to stay after some interest from FC Twente.

Today, Go Ahead started brightly and Türüç was influential in the opening goal. Alex Schalk provided a smart back-heel to finish Türüç’s attempt after only 18 minutes of play. The lead could have been doubled before half-time new Groningen keeper Sergio Padt, a summer signing from Belgian side AA Gent saved a Jop van der Linden’s free kick, while striker Marnix Kolder fired into the side netting.

Just five minutes after the break the energetic Lesley de Sa scored an excellent individual goal. The 21-year-old from Ajax cut inside from the right wing lashing a powerful drive into top corner of Padt’s goal, giving the stopper no chance of reaching.

The over 9,000 fans inside the Adelaarshorst exploded, however none of them would have foreseen the second half ahead. After dominating the first-half, Go Ahead was exposed terribly by Groningen after the break.

Just before the hour mark, Groningen grabbed a goal back when Tjaronn Chery, signed permanently from ADO in the summer, blasted a low drive from the edge of the box past Erik Cummins to make it 2-1.

With just fifteen minutes remaining, Michael de Leeuw levelled the game up taking advantage of some poor marking by the Eagles, with a close range header after Antonia crossed towards the back post.

Then on 87 minutes, Jarchinio Antonia loved by Eagles fans last year was instantly loathed by those same supporters after scoring the winner. With the pitch heavily waterlogged and the ball unable to move smoothly across the grass, De Leeuw lofted a ball high into the middle of box and Antoniq stretched out with a diving header past Cummins to break Eagles hearts.

TEAMS

GO AHEAD: Cummins, Niuewpoort, Vriends, Van der Linden, Schenk, Overgoor, Türüç, Van Oojien (Rijsdijk 71), De Sa (Reimerink 83), Kolder, Schalk (Lewis 68).

SUBS NOT USED: Van der Hart, Lewis, De Bondt, Van der Meer, Ten Den.

GOALS: Schalk 18, De Sa 50.

BOOKINGS: None.

GRONINGEN: Padt, Hiariej, Botteghin, Kappelhof, Van Nieff (Van der Laan 64), Kieftenbeld, Chery, Lindgren (De Leeuw 67), Van der Velden, Hoesen (Islamovic 88), Antonia.

SUBS NOT USED: Van der Vlag, Hateboer, Saban, Hagenauw.

GOALS: Chery 58, De Leeuw 75, Antonia 87

BOOKINGS: Van Nieff 46.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Jarchinio Antonio (FC Groningen)

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EREDIVISIE: Ajax 4-1 Vitesse

August 10, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST 2014

AJAX 4 – 1 VITESSE

Ajax got their title defense underway with 4-1 win over Vitesse, although the victory was not as one-sided as it sounds.

Whilst potential signing Samuel Eto’o was among the spectators at the Amsterdam ArenA, Frank de Boer went with three-pronged attack of Ricardo Kishna, Arkadiusz Milik and Lasse Schöne. He left all three of Ajax’s representatives at this summer’s World Cup on the bench, Jasper Cillessen, Joël Veltman and Daley Blind.

Meanwhile, Peter Bosz decided to feature two youngsters from the latest crop sent over to Arnhem from Chelsea. Burkina Faso attacking midfielder Bertrand Traoré returned for his second season at Vitesse while Brazilian right-back Wallace made his debut at the back.

Vitesse controlled the majority of the first 45 minutes with Ajax looking vulnerable at the back, however the visitors were due to rue all the missed opportunities especially when Ajax made the breakthrough five minutes before half-time.

Summer signing Nick Viergever got the first goal with a wonderful left-foot finish. Young full-back Ruben Ligeon got forward on the right-wing and planted a cross in the middle of the box, arriving late Viergever volleyed past Piet Velthuizen in goal to make the Amsterdam ArenA jump.

Just after the interval, the lead was doubled after Chelsea youngster Wallace brought down Kishna around 30-yards out. From the resulting set-piece, Lasse Schöne hit a dipping long range shot that made Velthuizen look rather foolish in goal.

The second goal woke Vitesse up immediately and Bosz’s men nearly reduced the deficit. Defender Guram Kashia cracked a header off the crossbar from a Zakaria Labyad corner and then nodded the rebound over. However, the game was settled just after the hour mark with Mike van der Hoorn’s first goal for Ajax. Schone whipped in the corner and the defender rose above Jan-Arie van der Heijden to make it 3-0. Game over for Vitesse Arnhem.

The entrances of new signing Denys Olinyk and young forward Uroš Djurdjevic did not bring Vitesse any joy, Ajax were in full domination and dictated the tempo of the play. Although, Vitesse did get a consolation goal with a lovely effort by Marko Vejinović with just six minutes to go. After shrugging off the challenge of Van der Hoorn, the midfielder caught the Ajax defence asleep as he surged through the area and slotted home inside Kenneth Vermeer’s inside post.

Ajax made it four before the final whistle when young substitute winger Ahmed El Ghazi played a ball into the back post, and Schöne sidefooted home to score his second of the match.

Great second half performance from the Amsterdammers which may have shown Marc Overmars and De Boer that, do they really need to spend €2million a year on wages for Eto’o when they have all this talent banging in the goals when it matters.

TEAMS

AJAX: Vermeer, Ligeon, Van der Hoorn, Moisander, Boilesen, Klaassen (Sigthórsson 80), Viergever, Serero, Schöne, Milik (Blind 59), Kishna (El Ghazi 70).

SUBS NOT USED: Cillessen, Veltman, Sigthórsson, Andersen, Denswil.

GOALS: Viergever 40, Schöne 48, Van der Hoorn 62.

BOOKINGS: Ligeon 43, Van der Hoorn 82.

VITESSE: Velthuizen, Wallace, Kashia, Van den Heijden, Kruiswijk, Pröpper, Leerdam (Achenteh 85), Vejinovic, Labyad, Kazaishvili (Olinyk 66), Traoré (Djurdjevic 66).

SUBS NOT USED: Room, Dijks, Bosz, Dauda.

GOALS: Vejinovic 84.

BOOKINGS: Wallace 47.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Lasse Schöne (Ajax)

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EREDIVISIE: ADO Den Haag 0-1 Feyenoord

August 10, 2014 Will Burns 1 Comment

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST 2014

ADO DEN HAAG 0 – 1 FEYENOORD

The opening game of Sky Sports’ coverage in the UK was a high octane affair with 12 yellow cards and a sending off however; ten-man ADO Den Haag were harshly defeated by a late Mitchell te Vrede goal.

In an already hectic season for Fred Rutten, the new Feyenoord head coach decided to hand debuts down the right side to Luke Wilkshire and Bilal Basacikoglu while he dropped young striker Te Vrede in place of midweek scorer against Beşiktaş, Elvis Manu.

ADO’s debutant goalkeeper Martin Hansen had to be alert on nine minutes as Terence Kongolo delivered a wonderful cross for former Den Haag man Lex Immers to rise above everyone to smash a header at goal, and the former Liverpool youth keeper tipped over.

Feyenoord should have gained the lead on 15 minutes after Basacikoglu threaded the needle for Manu down the right. The striker showed great power and strength to get past Vito Wormgoor but Hansen flicked the ball around the post.

The woodwork stopped ADO’s chances going in, twice in succession. On 17 minutes, Mike van Duinen nodded on a corner for former West Brom defender Gianni Zuiverloon to head the ball off the crossbar. A few minutes later, Dion Malone crashed the bar with a great effort from long range that had the supporters inside Kyocera Stadion on their feet and Feyenoord keeper Erwin Mulder on his knees.

The hosts impressed after the early scares form Feyenoord but lost their captain Ronald Alberg to injury before half-time and had to be replacement by another man making his debut, 18-year-old Tyronne Ebuehi.

Things got worse for Henk Fraser as Mitchell Schet received two bookings within four minutes. Schet dived in on Sven van Beek and then minutes later he was penalised for pulling back Kongolo. Video replays showed that the second should not have been a sending off. Nevertheless, referee Danny Makkelie dished out the first red card of the Eredivisie season so far and Schet trudged off the pitch.

As the rain poured down, ADO lost their discipline and Aaron Meijers was lucky to stay on the field after a two footed challenge in the corner on Basacikoglu. The teams went into the interval all square but Feyenoord, with the man advantage.

Still the Rotterdammers failed to get going and really test Hansen’s gloves and it was not until the hour mark that we saw the first real chance. An audacious effort from Kevin Jansen, spotting Erwin Mulder off his line, hit a 45-yard free kick towards goal that just sailed wide with Mulder scrambling to get back in his goal.

On 65 minutes, Feyenoord had a free-kick of their own and with a great piece of improvisation, Clasie laid the ball low into the area for Kongolo to crack an effort on goal. Unfortunately for Rutten’s men the box was too crowded and the ball went behind for a corner. From the resulting set-piece, Immers got his head on the ball again but could not get his effort on target.

As the time dwindled on, ADO looked the more dangerous as Feyenoord became anxious. The introductions of Te Vrede, Ruben Schaken and later Ruud Vormer seemed to fail to inspire Rutten’s side to the expected victory. Although, In the dying moments, when it looked like the game would not be settled, Mitchell te Vrede snatched the win with an excellent header from a Clasie free-kick.

Feyenoord will need to improve if they wish to challenge the likes of Ajax, PSV and FC Twente for the Eredivisie championship. ADO will be disappointed with the result but on the bright this is only their second defeat in the last 14 league fixtures. Referee Danny Makkelie will be in headlines also, as the 13 cards he displayed in this game is an all-time Eredivisie record.

TEAMS

ADO: Hansen, Malone, Wormgoor, Zuiverloon, Meijers, Kristensen, Jansen (Merencia 87), Alberg (Ebuehi 38), Van Duinen, Kramer, Schet.

SUBS NOT USED: Zwinkles, Kanon, Buwalda, De Vlugt, Houtkoop.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Schet 36, Meijers 43, Kramer 52, Jansen 54, Zuiverloon 63, Kristensen 65, Merencia 90.

SENT OFF: Schet 40.

FEYENOORD: Mulder; Wilkshire, Van Beek, Mathijsen, Kongolo, Clasie, Immers, Vilhena, Basacikoglu (Schaken 67), Manu (Vormer 81), Boëtius (Te Vrede 58).

SUBS NOT USED: Hahn, Vormer, Verhoek, Nelom, Karsdorp.

GOALS: Te Vrede 90+1.

BOOKINGS: Manu 25, Te Vrede 77, Van Beek 80, Wilkshire 82, Clasie 85.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Kevin Jansen (ADO)

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EREDIVISIE: Heracles 0-3 AZ Alkmaar

August 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST 2014

HERACLES 0 – 3 AZ ALKMAAR

Marco Van Basten’s AZ side ran out 3-0 winners over Heracles in his first match in charge of the club, but it wasn’t as comfortable as the scoreline suggests, especially in the first half, but quality won out in the end.

Heracles started the match well, with a lot of crisp passing and they kept the ball well. AZ hardly had a kick of the ball in the opening ten minutes, when they did, they looked very uncomfortable and rushed in possession. This may have been down to the impressive work rate of their opposition, who were pressing well. The first chance came around in the opening minute as the home side managed to get in behind AZ, but Oussama Tannane shot over the bar. The opening exchanges were encouraging for the home side, but it was unlikely that they could play at such intensity for the entire match and that proved as AZ slowly managed to show their ability.

The front three of AZ have lots of ability and all three started to threaten the Heracles defence. Both Steven Berghuis and the new signing from Fulham, Muamer Tankovic forced saves with shots from range, while Guus Hupperts started to pose a lot of questions down the left hand side and the pressing of the front caused the home side’s defence to make several errors in their own half when in possession.

However, it was Heracles who had the better chances, a deflected effort from Thomas Bruns came very close to breaking the deadlock after good work from Linssen on the left, while the midfielder had another great chance minutes later, but he fired over when Ilias Bel Hassani picked him out on the edge of the area. The home side had a shout for a penalty as well as Bryan Linssen was clumsily taken down by Esteban, who looked shaky at times, but AZ got the decision in their favour.

The second half started in the same way as the first, with Heracles coming out of the blocks quickly, good play down their right, led to Bel Hassani getting space in the box and he came close to opening the scoring, hitting the post. The quality of the AZ front three started to show as the half wore on and two were involved in the opener. A hopeful long ball was played up to Tankovic and the clearance fell to Steven Berghuis. His low shot squirmed underneath the keeper. It was perhaps harsh on the home side, but it gave AZ confidence and they doubled their advantage just minutes later.

Wide player Guus Hupperts drifted inside, evaded a challenge and curled his shot into the top right hand corner from the edge of the area. It was a super goal to mark his debut for the club. The signing from Roda JC was a constant threat and he will become very important for Van Basten as the season progresses.

As the match progressed, Heracles still threatened, but their poor decision making in the final third meant they couldn’t get back into the match. It’s clear they will be a difficult team to play against this season. Unfortunately for them, AZ’s quality shone through in the end as forward Tankovic scored the first after Berghuis’ shot from range was pushed into his path. He was the second AZ player to score on his debut for the club and it was fitting all three attackers scored as they were excellent for the entire match. They will certainly create problems for teams this season and the return of Aron Jóhannsson will only add to the attacking threat at Marco Van Basten’s disposal.

TEAMS

HERACLES: Telgenkamp, Schenkeveld, Aktaou, Zomer, Te Wierik, Sibum (Cziommer 73), Bruns, Bel Hassani, Linssen, Tannane (Weghorst 69), Fledderus (Gyasi 70).

SUBS NOT USED: Castro, Paljic, Pelupessy, Engberink.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Fledderus 64.

AZ: Esteban, Johansson, Gouweleeuw, Wuytens, Ortiz, Gudelj, Hendriksen, Poulse, Berghuis, Hupperts (Haps 85), Tankovic (Rosheuvel 78).

SUBS NOT USED: Rochet, Elm, Hoedt, Haye, Luckassen.

GOALS: Berghuis 56, Hupperts 63, Tankovic 76.

BOOKINGS: None.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Steven Berghuis (AZ Alkmaar)

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EREDIVISIE: NAC Breda 1-1 Excelsior

August 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST 2014

NAC BREDA 1 – 1 EXCELSIOR

Eredivisie newcomers Excelsior clinched a vital 1-1 draw away to prospected relegation rivals NAC Breda which saw two goals scored in a matter of minutes.

The Eredivisie new boys started well and the tricky Jordan Botaka caused NAC a lot of trouble from the start. It was clear that NAC defensive midfielder Joeri de Kamps had a game plan for the young winger, rough him up and keep him out the game. However, it almost backfired when referee Jeroen Sanders made a terrible error on 18 minutes. De Kamps was clearly seen fouling Botaka in the area, although the referee stated it was outside the box. Despite the protests, the free-kick was awarded and NAC had been spared.

Breda’s goalkeeper Jelle ten Rouwelaar was presented a plaque pre-match, for this was his 205th consecutive Eredivisie game for the club. Unfortunately for the stopper, he was beaten on 19 minutes.

Kenny van der Weg got his feet tangled with Excelsior striker Tom van Weert and referee Sanders pointed to the spot. It was a soft decision, possibly making up for the one the officials missed a few minutes previous. Jeff Stans converted the spot-kick even though Ten Rouwelaar guessed the right way and got his fingertips to the ball.

From the restart, NAC were level. Moroccan Under-23 international Adnane Tighadouini hit a first time shot after a poor clearance from the erratic Jordy Deckers, and the ball ended up in the empty goal.

Breda should have taken the lead moments later, again Tighadouini involved. Kingsley Boateng, NAC’s new signing from AC Milan, whipped the ball away from Kevin van Diermen and crossed low across the goal. The Moroccan was arriving at the back post and smashed his finish off the foot of the post.

After the break, NAC had another chance to take the lead but wasted the opportunity again. Erik Falkenburg’s long range effort was pushed onto the post by Deckers and Elson Hooi blazed the rebound over from a few yards out.

Excelsior may have had another penalty in the dying seconds when Boateng was deemed to handball in the area but nothing was awarded. NAC will need to improve their efforts in front of goal or better teams than Excelsior will punish them for the mistakes.

TEAMS

NAC: Ten Rouwelaar, Ssewankambo, Drost, Van der Weg, Amieux, Falkenburg, De Kamps, Matic, Hooi (Sarpong 70), Boateng, Tighadouini.

SUBS NOT USED: Babos, Damcevski, De Roover, Suk, El Allouchi.

GOALS: Tighadouini 20.

BOOKINGS: De Kamps 40.

EXCELSIOR: Deckers, Karami, Fischer, Van Diermen, Brito, Kruijs, Auassar, Stans (Vermeulen 86), Botaka, Van Weert (Gouriye 71), Van Mieghem (Hutten 76).

SUBS NOT USED: Mattheij, Damen, Bovenberg, Maletic.

GOALS: Stans 19P.

BOOKINGS: None.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Jordan Botaka (Excelsior)

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EREDIVISIE: SC Cambuur 1-1 FC Twente

August 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST 2014

SC CAMBUUR 1 – 1 FC TWENTE

A Youness Mokhtar equaliser, with just two minutes to go, denied Cambuur of all three points against FC Twente this evening, after Manchester City loanee Albert Rusnák had put the hosts ahead.

Slovakian midfielder Albert Rusnák stole the show and demonstrated to everyone watching that he could be a real force this campaign for Cambuur. Formerly having loan spells at Oldham Athletic and Birmingham City, this was the 20-year-old’s debut on a season-long loan from Premier League champions Manchester City. He announced his arrival on 13 minutes after Kyle Ebecilio fouled Michiel Hemmen on the edge of the area. The 18-year-old stepped up and curled the free-kick into the top corner out of Nick Marsman’s reach. This was Rusnák’s first goal in professional football.

Twente were struggling to get going and Cambuur looked the more likely team to score. The impressive Rusnák showed great movement throughout and worked hard, showing great tenacity to get back deep into the midfield and win the possession for his team.

Twente coach replaced Robert Schilder with new signing Kamohelo Mokotjo at half-time to try and lift his side, however, even though the link-up play improved, no decent chances were created and Leonard Nienhuis’ gloves stayed cold.

With two minutes of play remaining, the game was tied due to a deflected shot from Youness Mokhtar. The winger cut inside and on the edge the box tried his luck, the ball flicked off the boot of Cambuur defender Lucas Bijker and ended up past Nienhuis for the equaliser. An undeserving goal for the team from Enschede.

Twente will feel fortunate to leave Leeuwarden with a point, for Cambuur, it may feel like two points lost although if you would have asked coach Henk de Jong before the game, I’m sure he would have took a draw. Today was all about Albert Rusnak, the Manchester City youngster that we will all be treated to this season.

TEAMS

CAMBUUR: Nienhuis, Droste, Reijnen, Bijker, Pereira, El Makrini, Bakker, Rusnák, Meleg (Schepers 61), Hemmen (Dijkstra 78), Ogbeche (Barto 90).

SUBS NOT USED: Zeinstra, Mac-Intosch, Janzen, Schokker.

GOALS: Rusnák 13.

BOOKINGS: None.

TWENTE: Marsman, Breukers, Lachman (Tapia 81), Martina, Koppers, Schilder (Mokotjo 46), Ebecilio, Castaignos, Mokhtar, Børven, Kusk (Ould-Chikh 72).

SUBS NOT USED: Stevens, Andersen, Hölscher, Corona.

GOALS: Mokhtar 88.

BOOKINGS: None.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Albert Rusnak (SC Cambuur)

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EREDIVISIE: Heerenveen 1-2 FC Dordrecht

August 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST 2014

HEERENVEEN 1 – 2 FC DORDRECHT

Ernie Brandts and his FC Dordrecht side pulled off a shock 2-1 win against a poor Heerenveen side that seemed to be lacking something going forward.

The hosts got off to a great start with an opening goal within 13 minutes. Jordy Buijs bombed down the right wing and despite the efforts of Dordrecht defender Sem de Wit, Buijs got a cross in towards the back post. Arriving late was Hakim Ziyech, who rose above the challenge of Marvin Peersman to nod towards goal. Polish goalkeeper Filip Kurto tried relentlessly to stop the header but to no avail.

Heerenveen pressed for a second with Daley Sinkgraven, just aged 19, looking the most likely to make something happen, however Kurto was rarely tested. The youngster came off worse in a challenge with the big goalkeeper before half-time and was bleeding from the top of his head throughout the game.

A minute before the break, Dordrecht found themselves level with a fortunate goal. Former PSV youth player Funso Ojo whipped a free-kick into the area and what should have been an easy catch for Heerenveen stopper Kristoffer Nordfeldt, the big Swede flapped when De Wit jumped with him. Then when Luciano Slagveer botched a clearance, Giovanni Korte was on home to drive the ball home.

Ten minutes to go, the Eredivisie new boys sealed all three points. A mix-up between Nordfledt and young defender Joost van Aken allowed Joris van Overeem steal the ball and slot home to take the win.

Selling Alfred Finnbogason in the summer, new coach Dwight Lodeweges knew it was going to be a massive task replacing him. Aside of Sinkgraven and Ziyech, Heerenveen was missing the attacking threats that we are used to seeing. On the right wing, Slagveer was ineffective and lone striker Mark Uth never got going. New Danish signing Thomas Dalgaard replaced Uth after 55 minutes but himself failed to inspire.

The home side were booed off by their fans inside the Abe Lenstra Stadion as Brandts and his coaching staff jumped up and down in a circle celebrating on the final whistle. Lodeweges will have to pick his players up, as on Friday night they travel to De Kuip to face Feyenoord.

TEAMS

HEERENVEEN: Nordfeldt, Marzo, Buijs, Van Aken, Raitala, Van den Berg, Ziyech, De Roon, Slagveer (Wildschut 54), Uth (Dalgaard 55), Sinkgraven (Thorsby 75).

SUBS NOT USED: De Fockert, Otigba, Schmidt, Varga.

GOALS: Ziyech 14.

BOOKINGS: De Roon 37, Ziyech 75.

DORDRECHT: Kurto, Fortes, Troost-Ekong, Haddad, Peersman, Ojo, Gosens, Van Overeem (Vet 90), Korte (Meulens 70), Lieder (Ten Voorde 82), Pisas.

SUBS NOT USED: Te Loeke, De Wit, Hamdaoui, Van Haaren.

GOALS: Korte 44, Van Overeem 81.

BOOKINGS: Haddad 21, Meulens 84, Kurto 90+4.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Marvin Peersman (FC Dordrecht)

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