NEC lost 1-0 to FC Utrecht on Sunday followingnoon. In the Domstad, FC Utrecht was the happiest following 90 minutes of football on a difficult field thanks to a goal by Sam Lammers.
The first half was not very uplifting. The fact that NEC was only able to register its first ball contact in the enemy sixteen-meter area following half an hour spoke volumes. Utrecht ultimately only had one ball contact in the penalty area in the entire first act.
But if any team was entitled to a goal, it was NEC Goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas, who is preferred to former NEC goalkeeper Mattijs Branderhorst in Utrecht, had to stretch on a free kick from Calvin Verdonk ten minutes before half-time. Five minutes later he breathed a sigh of relief when Koki Ogawa’s attempt went wide.
After the break, FC Utrecht also went on the attack more. The home team did it best and following Jasper Cillessen kept his team on their feet twice, the goalkeeper had to bow out. Lammers controlled a measured cross from Souffian El Karouani into the goal and opened the scoring.
Lammers was the man who remained the most dangerous following the opening goal. Crosses from Othmane Boussaid and El Karouani were miraculously shot wide or once morest Cillessen. Substitute Sylla Sow came closest to scoring on behalf of NEC, but because the striker failed to finish from close range, the score remained at 1-0.
The defeat has no consequences for NEC’s sixth place in the rankings, as closest pursuer Go Ahead Eagles already crashed earlier this weekend. After two intensive months, NEC is now off for a week: the Eredivisie will resume on Saturday, March 30, with the home match once morest PSV (kick-off at 4:30 PM).
Score progression
61. Lammers 1-0
NEC lineup: Cillessen; Van Rooij, Sandler, Nuytinck, Verdonk (85. Boss); Schöne (77. Sow), Sano, Hoedemakers, Sano; Rober (85. Olden Larsen), Koki, Hansen (72. Borges Sanches)
