In Erve Asito, Almere City FC and Heracles Almelo share the points. One half is white and full of fringe; the other half is black with a quick penalty and a red card. There is not a word of French in there. That is, if you ignore the French key players in this match.
Heracles Almelo starts the match like a man possessed. The people of Herac are very aware of the interests at stake. You feel it in the catacombs, a kind of oppressive tension. Almere City FC absorbs the first wave of attacks well and quickly tips the balance in its direction. It may be playing one of the best halves of the season.
Prior to the match, Alex Pastoor clearly understood the 0-5 score in his own Yanmar Stadium earlier this season. After five minutes it is Joey Jacobs who narrowly misses a free kick from Peer Koopmeiners. Fifteen minutes later there is no stopping it. Hansen, Robinet, Cathline: the golden triangle. Almere City FC is better than Heracles Almelo and the score is 0-1.
Ten minutes before the rest the double score is a fact. After another tornado of an attack, Kornelius Hansen is grabbed in a position of opportunity. The referee doesn’t hesitate for a moment and gives a penalty. Robinet shoots impeccably low into the bottom left corner. Unsustainable, allowing the team to enter the dressing room with a comfortable 0-2.
The second half is three minutes old, when Almere residents get flashbacks to October 2022. Then Almere City FC managed to turn a 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 victory in the second half. This edition it is Heracles that quickly returns to the match. The second act is three minutes old, when Jizz Hornkamp makes it 1-2 with a penalty. Ten minutes later, Almere seems to be in trouble, when Thomas Robinet receives a red card for an elbow after mediation by the VAR.
After this it squeaks and creaks in the Flevoland camp. A ball grazes the intersection and Bakker makes some special saves to maintain the lead. That doesn’t last long, because the equalizer is scored 25 minutes before the end.
Almere City FC ultimately retains a point from the away match. They survived eight minutes of injury time with ten men and even scored a winning goal via Peer Koopmeiners. However, the balance is maintained and Almere City FC climbs to 28 points with the equalizer.
Next Saturday, FC Utrecht will come to the Yanmar Stadium in Almere. Almere City FC’s own home is sold out again, but you may still be able to get a ticket via the ticket exchange platform.
Photo’s Ron Baltus / sportsshots.pro