Willem II felt robbed on Saturday after the game with NEC (1-1). The equalizer of Kento Shiogai just before time, according to the Tilburgers, came from an unsporting moment of the home team. “I have a feel for the goal, especially the way in which,” says captain Erik Schouten (33).
Opposite the ESPN camera, Schouten took out to Rogier Meijer immediately afterwards. According to Willem II’s captain, the NEC trainer had commissioned his players not to return a ball that had played by the Tilburgers due to a cramping case.
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A few minutes later, Schouten opposite Omroep Brabant had calmed something. “I was just too emotional, but I think it was so low what NEC did. At the end it also got a bit out of hand, which by the way was not necessary.” After the last whistle, central defender Raffael Behounek even got a red card because he would have called something towards a NEC player.
According to Schouten, in his eyes, it was not necessary at all, certainly not after what had happened in the first half. “When two players from NEC came together with their heads, we immediately got around together. It looked very annoying, terrible to experience. Fortunately we heard player Dirk Proper after a while screaming. That was not nice to hear, but it was nice that he was again. After that there was also an unwell.”
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Midfielder Amine Lachkar (22) found it incomprehensible that NEC did not make the ball back. “There had already been similar moments during the game and on both sides the ball was neatly returned after the injury treatments. This time not and a foul followed, with a goal from that free kick. If this moment had not happened, the win may not have slipped out of our hands. Football is sometimes not sporty.”
“Very unfortunate that the trainer was fired.”
The late equalizer fits a bit in the series of fourteen duels in a row without victory. Even under Interim chief trainer Kristof Aelbrecht, it was not possible to grab three points. Lachkar: “I think it’s a shame that trainer Peter Maes was fired, I had a good relationship with him. All the praise for Kristof that he prepared our team for this competition in a few days. We all continue to fight and hope to get out of this rot phase.”
At Schouten there is the confidence that the last three league matches will end the negative series. “A lot has happened this week, but in the last few days we have worked super as a group. In the end it is about trust, that is if the results are better. We have shown today against NEC that Willem II has certainly not been defeated yet.”