PEC step closer to championship after meager win and points loss Heracles

Leaders PEC Zwolle did good business in the battle for the title in the first division. Thanks to two goals by Lennart Thy, the Zwolle players were 2-0 too strong for Jong FC Utrecht, while numbers two and three Heracles Almelo and Almere City drew 1-1 in a mutual duel.

The difference with Heracles is now, seven rounds of play before the end, five points. The gap with Almere City grew to nineteen points, although Almere still has a match to go. The champion and the number two promote directly to the premier league.

PEC started weakly against the talents of FC Utrecht, which already had two opportunities to score within four minutes. After almost half an hour of play, the goalkeeper of Jong FC Utrecht, Kevin Gadellaa, had to intervene seriously for the first time. He saved cleverly on a shot by the German striker Thy.

Incidentally, in Zwolle, the standing stands remained empty after a penalty from the KNVB for setting off flares at the players’ attendance prior to the game with FC Eindhoven, on November 11 last year.

The Zwolle players struggled to create chances, just like in the away game. Then PEC won only 1-0. Now they rested scoreless in Zwolle, despite another great chance for Thy. His effort was too weak to surprise Gadellaa.

The first big chance in the second half was for Derensili Fernandes of Jong Utrecht. He pounced on Zwolle goalkeeper Jasper Schendelaar after a counter. In the 58th minute, the crowd woke up after a goal by Thy. The German was played into the penalty area by Dean Huiberts and shot in one go: 1-0.

In injury time, PEC still doubled the score which gave the result a slightly better look. Thy received the ball again from Huiberts and shot in via the inside of the post: 2-0.

In Almelo, Heracles had the first big chance in the 21st minute after a blunder by Almere goalkeeper Nordin Bakker. The latter pushed the ball into the feet of Ismail Azzaoui. However, the Belgian managed to shoot the ball into the only Almere player standing in the goal, Álvaro Peña. Via him the ball miraculously went over.

In the 32nd minute, the same Peña headed Almere into the lead from a corner kick. Only just before half-time could Heracles counter that. Dane Nikolai Laursen finished off a long but messy attack by tucking the ball into the goal via goalkeeper Bakker: 1-1.

In the second half there was little to enjoy in the Erve Asito stadium, it remained 1-1.