Utrecht next to Sparta on league table – ‘Winter practices with Suriname against world champion Argentina’

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SPA-UTR | Race Report

In a nasty Eredivisie match with many fouls, riots and a stupid red card, FC Utrecht recorded a 3-0 win on a visit to Sparta Rotterdam. As a result, both teams are now level with 37 points.

Due to a better goal difference, Sparta retains sixth place, but that is only a palliative. The Rotterdammers will have to do without captain Adil Auassar for the time being: he received a red card for hitting early in the second half and can expect a hefty suspension.

SPA-UTR | 90+5′ Finished

Anthony Descotte seemed to make Utrecht’s fourth in injury time, but he was just offside. Final score in Rotterdam: 0-3.

SPA-UTR | 89′ GOAL FC UTRECHT!

Things are wide open at Sparta, which gives Anthony Descotte the chance to make it 0-3. The Belgian shoots hard into the far corner.

SPA-UTR | 88′ GOAL FC UTRECHT!

The numerical majority pays off for Utrecht. Jensen gets the ball on the center line and, with a defender at his back, he chops the ball to the onrushing Toornstra. The veteran keeps the overview and gives Boussaid a chance not to be missed. He doesn’t. Utrecht at 2-0 in Rotterdam.

SPA-UTR | 74′ GOAL FC UTRECHT!

The storm has subsided and Utrecht comes out of its shell more and more. Klaiber played the ball in hard to Van de Streek, who tapped it beautifully to substitute Victor Jensen. The Dane shot eye to eye with goalkeeper Olij in the far corner.

Suriname practices against world champion

Suriname’s national team is likely to get a lot of practice next month. According to various media, the team of national coach Aron Winter will take on the world champion in Argentina. The match is scheduled for Tuesday, March 28, the location is not yet known.

SPA-UTR | 65′ Good chance Utrecht

After minutes of danger in front of the Utrecht goal, the visitors come dangerous in front of the Sparta goal for the first time since Auassar’s red card. Klaiber shoots just over after a good attack.

SPA-UTR | 55′ Sparta urges

Despite the understrength, the ten Spartans go full out in pursuit of the opening goal. Utrecht under pressure with a man more.

SPA-UTR | 51′ Match resumed

After a brief hiatus, we play soccer again in Rotterdam.

SPA-UTR | 50′ Players inside

A lot is happening in Rotterdam, though. Sparta’s free kick was still standing, with Van Crooij shooting at the post. In the rebound the ball hits the bar via Lauritsen. Utrecht goalkeeper Barkas then gets a punch after which he falls to the ground and the Sparta supporters pelt him and referee Kooij.

SPA-UTR | 49′ RED CARD SPARTA!

A free kick for Utrecht, but the action is seen in the wall. Sparta captain Adil Auassar gives Sean Klaiber an elbow. Referee Joey Kooij first still gives a yellow card, but after the intervention of VAR he has to conclude that it should be red.

SPA-UTR | 46′ Second half

The ball is rolling again in Rotterdam. Both teams came out of the locker rooms unchanged.

Unrest at FC Volendam increases: Molenaar files charges against rvc member

Keje Molenaar has resigned as advisor to FC Volendam. The former player and lawyer is also pressing charges against Supervisory Board member Elma de Koekkoek for libel and slander.

Molenaar is outraged because De Koekkoek has called him “lacking in integrity.” “Any substantiation of this particularly damaging statement you have omitted,” Molenaar writes in a letter accessed by De Telegraaf. “With this qualification you touch, among other things, the core of my profession as a lawyer which I have practiced for more than 33 years and you apparently knowingly violate my honor and good name as a person and lawyer.”

An unedifying first half comes to an end. Still 0-0 at the Castle.

SPA-UTR | 35′ Chances scarce

The game mainly takes place in Utrecht’s half, but Sparta does not really manage to become dangerous. Utrecht lurks on a breakout, but that does not really come to the fore. Not really surprising that it is still 0-0.

SPA-UTR | 15′ First test for Olij

After a messy opening phase, in which the most important moment was a head injury to Luuk Brouwers, there is the first chance of the match. Utrecht top scorer Douvikas shoots hard at the Sparta goalkeeper from the right side of the sixteen.

Playing round 23 is underway!

SPA-UTR | Toornstra back at Utrecht

Jens Toornstra is back from his suspension. Utrecht did not win any of its 6 premier league matches this season without the routinier (W0-G3-V3). With Toornstra, the balance is W9-G4-V3. Mike van der Hoorn will play his 100th official game for FC Utrecht. He made his professional debut for Utrecht in May 2011, when he replaced Mark van der Maarel in a 5-1 win over AZ in the Eredivisie.

SPA-UTR | Some facts in a row

– Utrecht won 12 of the 42 duels at Het Kasteel. The points stayed in Rotterdam twice as often. The visitors won 5 of the last 6 times, last season 0-3 (Douvikas, Mahi and Coremans with an own goal).

– In Utrecht, with coach Fraser against his old club, it was 3-1 this season.

– After 10 unbeaten duels, Sparta lost at Ajax. At fellow sub-topper Utrecht, Bozdogan is absent due to injury.

– Viergever (FC Utrecht) made his Eredivisie debut at Sparta in 2009.

Mané back in selection Bayern Munich after serious injury

Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann will have the recovered Sadio Mané back at his disposal Sunday. The Senegalese striker is included in the frontrunner’s selection for the home game with 1. FC Union Berlin and may make minutes as a substitute.

“Sadio is there, but he can’t start yet,” Nagelsmann explained two days before the match against the team that eliminated Ajax in Europe on Thursday. “He trained with the group for two and a half sessions. He gives us more options and we are happy with that.”

Mané suffered a leg injury in November and also missed the World Cup in Qatar as a result. He has played 14 league games to date and scored six goals.

Nagelsmann could make good use of Mané. Bayern has won only two of six league games since the turn of the year. The team is still leading on goal difference, but Borussia Dortmund and Union Berlin meanwhile have as many points.

Van Nistelrooij hopes to have El Ghazi back in it against Twente

Anwar El Ghazi may make his return to the PSV matchday squad on Sunday against FC Twente. The striker suffered a muscle injury just under three weeks ago in the away match against Feyenoord (2-2) and has almost recovered.

“El Ghazi is slowly returning to team training. We will see if Sunday is feasible for him. If not, he will return on Thursday in the quarterfinal of the cup against ADO Den Haag,” coach Ruud van Nistelrooij said.

He can have Ibrahim Sangaré at his disposal again against Twente. The Ivorian was ill last week and did not return to action in Thursday’s Europa League match against Sevilla (2-0). “Sangaré is getting fitter, he trained well today,” he said.

El Ghazi’s possible return is not insignificant for PSV. Thorgan Hazard, another outfield player, suffered a muscle injury a week ago and will not play for the time being.

Noppert not back at sc Heerenveen for now

Goalkeeper Andries Noppert will not return to the pitch at sc Heerenveen for the time being. This was said by coach Kees van Wonderen a day before the home game with RKC Waalwijk.

Exactly how long Noppert will be sidelined is not clear, according to Van Wonderen. The Dutch national was last under the crossbar at the end of January. Since then he has been struggling with an abdominal and groin injury.

“He does feel by now that things are going in the right direction,” Van Wonderen said of the goalkeeper’s injury. “But top sport is dealing with adversity. We told him he has to have a certain rest, because it’s not going any faster. You shouldn’t get frustrated, but accept it.”

On Saturday night, in the match against RKC Waalwijk, Xavier Mous will be under the crossbar at Heerenveen. Van Wonderen’s team is currently in eighth place in the Eredivisie. RKC Waalwijk is in ninth place.

KNVB appoints former coach Berger as technical adviser

The KNVB has appointed Han Berger as technical adviser. The 72-year-old former coach has been a member of the Football Association’s Supervisory Board for the last six years, where he was responsible for the ‘soccer technical affairs’ portfolio.

Berger, who will become an advisor on a part-time basis, will “contribute his expertise and experience to the development of the national youth teams and play a role in the Academy,” reports the KNVB.

He will also remain a sounding board for director of top soccer Nigel de Jong, a role he has held since De Jong’s recent appointment.

Berger’s past coaching roles include AZ, FC Groningen, FC Utrecht and Sparta. He also served as technical director at the Australian National Association and Sydney FC.

‘Wasn’t a light at the end of the tunnel’

Joshua Brenet is back at FC Twente at the level that made it to the Dutch national team in 2016.

The right winger left PSV for German side Hoffenheim in 2018, but after a good start he experienced a tough period in Germany.

“I experienced a period of almost two years when you hardly play or are not even in the selection,” Brenet explained. “Or that at training you were only allowed to take part in a pass or position practice, after which the training was over for you again, then you no longer felt like a footballer. It really seemed like there was no more light at the end of the tunnel.”

At the last minute of the 2022 winter transfer window, he was picked up by FC Twente. “That came like a gift from heaven, it couldn’t be any better. I get all my joy and energy from that now. I have regained and reclaimed myself. The pleasure and the love for the game: I have found everything again at FC Twente. And I notice that during the matches.”

In addition to Brenet, Lars Unnerstall, Michal Sadilek and Vaclav Cerny have also blossomed in Enschede. Where did that come from?

“It’s a piece of freedom you have here as players. It’s easy to say of course, but at the other clubs the pressure is higher,” Brenet believes.

“At Twente you are allowed to dream and you can have ambitions, but in my case at PSV, there it was a matter of course that you had to finish in the top two. At FC Twente you are ‘allowed’ to have that ambition. Because of that, I think a lot of guys play a lot more freely here.”

And Brenet may show that freedom again next Sunday, when he visits PSV with FC Twente, where he made his debut in professional soccer.