In a football afternoon when the ball wasn’t the most important thing, FC Utrecht won away for the third time in a row. In Galgenwaard, where the 2019 tram attack was much discussed, Utrecht team lost 2-1 to Go Ahead Eagles.
Guests from Deventer stayed sharp for twice as long as from Utrecht. After Anastasios Douvikas opened the score, Oliver Edvardsen’s 1-1 score went into overtime in the first half, while Willum Thor Willumsson’s 2-1 win went into overtime in the second half.
Tram attack commemorated
Exactly four years ago in 2019, the duel in Utrecht was marked by the attack on the Utrecht tram. The victims were commemorated with a minute of silence. Relevant aides were also remembered and received a standing ovation at the eighteenth minute of March 18 as the game was briefly suspended.
FC Utrecht had previously “called on everyone present to pay their respects” at the memorial service. And that call was heard. The eighteenth minute of applause was the most impressive of the afternoon. Because the game will not be remembered with football.
Michael Silberbauer’s Utrecht team has been missing for weeks. There are wounded and sick. Only one of the last six matches has been won in the KNVB Cup, including the shameful elimination against amateurs from Spakenburg. It wasn’t easy against Go Ahead either.
In a stubborn first half, Greek forward Douvikas squirmed out of his mandekker just before halftime, after Othmane Boussaid’s skillful pass passed the Deventer defense. A tracked shift by the striker meant his thirteenth goal of the season, bringing the score to 1-0.
The home team could not enjoy it for long. The Eagles returned to a deep injury time in the first half, before the break. Norway’s Edvardsen was offside and, under threat, managed to catch the ball just in front of Utrecht goalkeeper Vasilios Barkas, using his own knees to make the score 1-1.
Shortly before that, Utrecht had already made a good start when referee Bos, after consulting the VAR screen, concluded that a clear hand play by the Utrecht defender was not a penalty.
The late door continues
After the break, Utrecht tried his best to make the score 2-1, but was never really convinced. Sander van de Streek hit the pole over the goalkeeper Barkas, but the team didn’t come close to winning.
The Go Ahead Eagles continued their search for the winner. There was no fatigue among the visitors. It’s been two weeks since the Deventer side played their last game (4-1 loss at SC Cambuur), as the match against RKC last Friday was canceled shortly before kickoff due to heavy snowfall.
So in the end, the winner came. Because Utrecht lost a lot of ground where he sought the decisive goal. It just went wrong in the 94th minute. Willumsson got the ball in front of his feet and took the fatal 2:1 shot from the scrimmage line.
An important win for Go Ahead, as they now sit nine points above the relegation zone with thirteen games left.
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
