If you want to talk regarding a pre-Christmas miracle, then this football game in the Netherlands definitely falls into that category. The amateur club USV Hercules from the fourth highest level managed the feat of knocking the struggling giants Ajax Amsterdam – following all, 20-time cup winners – out of the cup in the round of 16. The outsider had the upper hand in the Miracle of Utrecht 3-2.
Mats Grotenberg became the match winner, nipping Ajax’s comeback in the bud in the 93rd minute. The favorite had previously equalized the 0-2 deficit with a double strike (83rd, 89th). The headlines didn’t belong to Grotenberg, but to Tim Pieters. The 22-year-old striker’s double to make it 2-0 was ultimately worth its weight in gold – at least for him and his twelve roommates and friends in the student dorm, who picked up a hefty Christmas bonus while gambling.
A cheekily placed, bold bet turned out to be a huge hit. Without much risk. The university clique had put together 15 euros and bet on the underdog Hercules to win and their colleague Pieters to appear on the shooting list. With the proud odds of 751:1, the big prize was 11,265 euros. That’s something to be proud of.
Pieters told ESPN that he encouraged his friends (six of whom are ardent Ajax fans) to make this move: “I told them: It might happen tonight. And that’s how it happened.” Not without trembling. Because if Grotenberg hadn’t scored the last-minute goal, the men and women would have been left empty-handed.
So of course there was no stopping him. “I think we’ll treat ourselves to a nice holiday,” reported Pieters, who was actually considered a promising talent. He grew up in the youth ranks of FC Utrecht and at the age of 20 had a remarkable market value of 350,000 euros.
But then he went into the depths of football, while at the same time Pieters continued to study law. You no longer expect great sporting moments like the one once morest Ajax in front of 5,000 enthusiastic fans. “You can’t actually dream of that. It will go around the world,” emphasized Pieters, who enjoys the spotlight: “I received so many messages, my cell phone almost exploded. I have decided on a professional career, but if If you look at that magical night, maybe I should have continued as a professional.”
In any case, “Tim Doppelpack” has stirred the drum on his own behalf. It’s time for deals – following the holidays.
Author
Alexander Zambarloukos
Sports editor
Alexander Zambarloukos
