FOOTBALL – The feeling of rehabilitation following Friday’s 2-0 defeat once morest VVV-Venlo will certainly have been there at FC Emmen tonight, but apart from the first fifteen minutes once morest TOP Oss, the audience did not see that enough. The visitors, who until today were co-bottomers in the Kitchen Champion Division, left the field as winners: 0-1.
Paralyzed, disappointed and above all frustrated. The players of the Drenthe club walked a lap around the field to thank the audience. There was no applause from the supporters. A few dismissive gestures and especially boos were heard from the now emptied stands. The play-offs seem far out of sight. The current twelfth place (three points behind ninth place and therefore the play-off) still offers plenty of prospects, but based on the game following the goal, that seems more and more a utopia.
FC Emmen – with Julius Dirksen for Jeff Hardeveld as the only substitution compared to Friday – started strongly, but failed to express its dominance in goals. The home club hit the aluminum twice (on shots from Julius Dirksen and Joey Konings, which TOP goalkeeper Mike Havekotte just managed to hit with his fingertips), Robin Schouten also found Havekotte in his path with his shot, the same applied to Maikel Kieftenbeld who might still got the best chance. After an excellent attack from the right and Konings being put back, the captain saw his shot touched, allowing Havekotte to turn quite easily.
After that strong quarter of an hour, Emmen dropped far back. Fred Grim’s men became increasingly sloppy with the ball and TOP Oss started to believe in it more and more, although Brood’s formation was mainly limited to countering. Yet the first dangerous counter was immediately successful. The cross from the fast Joshua Zimmerman was easily headed in by Abel William Stensrud, who appeared exactly between his guards Mike te Wierik and Dennis Vos. A dull thump for the Emmen residents, which was felt throughout the stadium. Suddenly it was dead quiet.
Emmen was shocked, but thought he would be on the same level following just over half an hour. Konings tapped in following a great attack on the right, but according to referee Pérez (or rather: assistant referee Been), Xander Lambrix had just run to the ground.
Grim quit halfway through the match and brought in three fresh players: Faris Hammouti, Bradly van Hoeven and Jorrit Smeets. They came for Desley Ubbink, Robin Schouten and Maikel Kieftenbeld.
Shortly following half-time, Konings came close to making it 1-1, but the striker (who was once more preferred to Piotr Parzyszek and Maarten Pouwels) shot wide, while he actually did everything right with his action (taking and turning away).
Shortly following that opportunity, the task of achieving a good result became even more difficult when Ben Scholte had to be sent off the field immediately. In a last-ditch effort to make up for a loss of ball, he hit Lambrix on his ankle.
With ten once morest eleven and TOP Oss, which did not really look for a second goal even with one man left, Emmen continued to hunt for a goal. Grim did what he might (he brought Pouwels and Parzyszek within the lines in the final phase), but the 1-1 did not come. Emmen did not get further than a shot from Konings that just went over.
