In game with two improbable misses, NEC subdues Excelsior’s ten team

NEC has kept its hopes of participating in the playoffs for European soccer alive. Visiting Excelsior, it distanced itself late (0-3), incidentally only the fifth league win for the Nijmegen side.

It was also the match of two unlikely misses, one for both clubs.

The first was by Iván Márquez of NEC, who managed to head the ball wide from close range in front of the goal. Illustrative for the team that has struggled to score this season and has already drawn twelve times.

Magnus Mattsson’s chance was much more difficult, but the Dane headed the ball behind Excelsior goalkeeper Stijn van Gassel with a great arc.

Solid fouls by Philippe Sandler (NEC) and Redouan El Yaakoubi (Excelsior) were dismissed with yellow cards, but the latter also received his second shortly after halftime by referee Martin van den Kerkhof.

With a man less, Excelsior was initially the most dangerous and seemed to get the equalizer as a gift after a lousy back pass from Sandler. Lazaros Lamprou, however, managed to bypass NEC goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen and shoot wide in front of an empty goal.

Cillessen was the best NEC player in that phase and dragged his team over the deadlock with good interventions. After Souffian El Karouani escaped notice and made it 0-2 with a dull bang, the victory was no longer in danger. The best was from Anthony Musaba, with a wonderful peg.

Whereas NEC can look up, with only three points less than number eight sc Heerenveen, Excelsior must now watch out after a strong first half of the season.

Watch the reactions of trainers Marinus Dijkhuizen and Rogier Meijer here:

The Kralingers are fifteenth, just above the relegation line, and must be careful not to be dragged into the relegation zone by FC Groningen next week.