A Steijn is entering Europe, that much is clear after the semi-finals of the play-offs. Whether it will be Sem (FC Twente) or Maurice (Sparta), is the theme next week. Sparta won 5-4 against FC Utrecht after a sensational diptych on penalties, with goalkeeper Nick Olij as the hero who stopped the penalty kicks from Luuk Brouwers and Mike van der Hoorn.
‘Olij in Oranje’, it sounded for the umpteenth time at Het Kasteel. He personally ensured that a double Steijn derby is scheduled for Thursday (in Rotterdam) and Sunday (Enschede). FC Twente is an undeniable favourite, after the big win over Heerenveen in the semi-finals (6-1 in total) and the convincing game. But Sparta has been making it incredibly difficult for opponents all season and in recent days ‘fear gegner’ FC Utrecht had to believe it in two games.
The team from Utrecht stacked up chance after chance on Thursday and lost completely against the odds with 1-2. How different it was today, most of the game. In the first half Sparta was more dominant and close to the opening goal. Younes Namli (spinning cross) and Tobias Lauritsen both hit the post in five seconds.
After the break, Vito van Crooij gave his team the lead, but the video referee Joey Kooij put a stop to that. He had observed a foul by Shurandy Sambo and referee Jochem Kamphuis agreed, to the understandable frustration of Sparta’s bench. The names of Taylor Booth and Bas Dost sounded chanted from the away section, to force a breakthrough in the flat game of their team with those cannons. Michael Silberbauer went along with that, Utrecht increased the pressure a bit, but never with the conviction of last Thursday.
Nick Olij: ‘Not only my merit’
Nick Olij refused to claim all credits for himself, after he played an important role in the penalty shootout at Het Kasteel with two stopped penalties. “If you use five of the six penalties very convincingly as a team, then it’s just a team effort. And that’s good, because last week they didn’t go very well in training,” said Olij, who had an excellent season with the number six in the Eredivisie, but to his own surprise and disappointment not in the (pre) selection van Oranje sat for the Final Four of the Nations League.
“I go to a corner on intuition. I had been given a leaf, but I prefer to go by my gut. I didn’t do it on a penalty and that’s stupid. You can prepare yourself, but in the end you will benefit more from reading the run-up. You don’t have to take them all, of course, this is the best,” said Olij, who saw Almere City goalkeeper Nordin Bakker take three penalties last night.
“I’m in good shape at the moment and the form is there. Then you will grab the craziest balls,” said Olij, after seeing some nice saves from him at ESPN. ,,We were dominant, while FC Utrecht had to score. very against the ratio, but after that we still bring a lot of energy and power into extra time.”
Only now, unlike four days earlier, Utrecht was efficient at that one moment in front of Nick Olij’s goal. Captain Nick Viergever tapped in at the far post after a free kick. Soon after, Lauritsen was injured and the tide seemed to turn against Sparta. Especially when Kooij did not call referee Kamphuis aside for a handball in the penalty area of Utrecht.
In extra time, Sparta, who had failed, was better than Utrecht, with Joshua Kitolano’s effort as the ultimate moment, in which the ball on the goal line turned away due to effect, and Hidde ter Avest almost shot the ball into his own goal. Penalty kicks had to decide. Nick Olij became the hero by stopping the penalties of Luuk Brouwers and Mike van der Hoorn, while only Adil Auassar missed on behalf of Sparta.
With the elimination of FC Utrecht, Sparta’s European dream is alive and well and the team from Rotterdam has survived the semi-finals of the European play-offs for the first time (in three participations). The club last played European football almost 40 years ago, if we exclude participation in the Intertoto Cup in 1994. Back then, in 1985/1986, Sparta won on penalties against Hamburger SV in the first round of the UEFA Cup. Borussia Mönchengladbach was too strong one round later.
A whole lot of Spartans who were at Het Kasteel today were not even born then. Will they get their European moments? Then the favorite FC Twente will have to be dealt with next week.
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2023-06-04 18:39:00
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