NAC is assured of enforcement in the Eredivisie without playing itself and may thank Willem II for that. The Tilburgers lost 1-2 to Heracles Almelo on Friday evening and can no longer catch up with the arch rival in the ranking. For the team of trainer Kristof Aelbrecht, an important week is starting, in which securing sixteenth place is the priority.
The first half of Willem II was one the worst of this season or perhaps the worst. After fifteen minutes, midfielder Jesse Bosch still got a nice shot opportunity on behalf of the home team, but after that it was soon 0-1 thanks to a goal from Ivan Mesik.
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The Tilburgers were then allowed to be Thomas Didillon-Hödl, because the Frenchman prevented a greater lead from the guests with great goalkeeper work. Heracles failed to score, but on the other hand, Ringo Meerveld also left a big chance. On the stroke of half -time, the Bossche midfielder was unable to beat after a handsome solo keeper Fabian de Keijzer.
Guts and commitment
In the second half there was a completely different Willem II. After the dramatic first 45 minutes, the supporters saw a team with guts and commitment in the packed King Willem II Stadium. Soon the equalizer fell due to a header by Jeremy Bokila, the striker who was honored in advance because of his hundredth match for the Tricolores. Through the agile Emilio Kehrer it was almost 2-1 after 63 minutes, but a feline reflex of De Keijzer prevented a goal.
Penalty
In the phase that Willem II was stronger, the formation from Almelo took the lead. Amine Lachkar showed that he was not a defender, brought down his opponent in the sixteen -meter area, causing a penalty kick. Jizz Hornkamp, former striker of Willem II, remained calm and sent Didillon-Hödl into the wrong corner. Heracles Almelo then went looking for the 1-3 and with that the decision. Again Didillon-Hödl kept his team up, making it exciting.
There was no longer any change in the stand in the final phase. The game was temporarily stopped 31 seconds before the end when cups were thrown on the field from the profession with fanatic Willem II supporters. After a short break, the players returned to the field before the final minutes. After the last whistle, the players were treated to a loud whistle concert of their own supporters.
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Play-offs
Due to the 1-2 defeat, direct enforcement is no longer possible. For the sixteenth place, and thus playing football in the play-offs, the gap with Almere City FC is five points. That team will play at home against Sparta Rotterdam on Saturday evening. RKC Waalwijk can reach the same level with Willem II in terms of points. Then it has to beat SC Heerenveen on Saturday afternoon, because the gap with Willem II is six points. However, RKC has a much less goal difference.