It is not only in the boundless energy and the two beautiful goals, spread over both halves. It is also the assumption of Kay Tejan, a 28-year-old striker born in Beverwijk. He played at the second professional level in France, at Dunkerque, until Telstar picked him up. This after a career at clubs such as Top Oss, FC Sheriff Tiraspol and łks łódź.
“It was always my dream to play in the Eredivisie,” he said on Friday in Telstar’s press release, in which his arrival was announced. That premier division debut comes on Saturday night, out at PSV, when he comes in in the sixtieth minute. Seven minutes later, shortly after the 0-2, he flawlessly takes on a difficult, high ball, ready to move so that he can move through immediately.
He plays like the whole of Telstar – fearless and confidently. Of course there is a bit of disbelief in the lucky looks at the players, where a young PSV fan with the newest shirt of his club rubs his damp eyes.
An unprecedented masterpiece is already in the making, the first Eredivisie victory of Telstar since a Sunday afternoon at the end of April 1978. At that time for 2,000 spectators in their own stadium in Velsen-Zuid with a victory at FC Volendam, now as a newly promoted club against the national champion in a full Philips stadium. That runs out quietly shortly before the end.
Microwave
It is a bit of blinking when the uninhibited Telstar gets three chances within four minutes. It is midfielder Tyrone Owusu, still playing until 2024 with the Amateurs of Quick Boys, who gets plenty of room in the 21st minute just before the penalty area. He shoots on the right, the ball turns in with perfect curl, high in the corner. “Pure Gogme,” he later says at ESPN about his first Eredivisiegoal.
Out against Ajax in the first league match, Telstar actually earned more, but they lost 2-0. They play with a lot of variation, in a 5-3-2 system with offensive wingbacks on the flanks. PSV hardly gets any pressure on that dynamic game.
It was a duel that you as a neutral spectator may not quickly engage in advance, because it was really to be expected? PSV, which after the national title following an elusive slump starts this calendar year, seemed to have everything on the ride. Convincing victories on Sparta, FC Twente and FC Groningen, after the victory in the Johan Cruijff Scale on Go Ahead Eagles. Well sold and well purchased on the transfer market this summer – it seems.
But then Telstar came by. A microwave is dragged into the stadium early in the evening from the player bus, a novelty because Telstar is experimenting with (warm) recovery meals. In this way, after the surprising promotion to the Eredivisie, the wonderful adventure is increasingly serious. Earlier, the modest stadium has already been renovated to make the Eredivisie-proof.
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They may be small, but this Saturday they did not come “to look the cat out of the tree,” says Owusu. They want to win, even at PSV, the most difficult of all seventeen away games. In the Eredivisie it is usually only Ajax, AZ and Feyenoord who can hurt PSV in their own home.
‘No grip’
Telstar forces it himself by looking fearless the attack. Without being naive – often the weak spot of newly promoted clubs. At the beginning of the second half, Telstar seems to be breaking for a moment, after PSV coach Peter Bosz said in his resting discussion according to captain Jerdy Schouten that “six scoops” should be on top. Bosz immediately changes three times – he brings, among others, striker Ricardo Pepi and playmaker Joey Veerman.
Under that pressure, Telstar must have the saves of goalkeeper Ronald Koeman Jr. Among other things, he nicely anticipates a hard shot by Ivan Perisic. “Always nice to get to places where my father left something,” he says in front of the camera. His father, national coach Ronald Koeman, was a coach and player at PSV and is in the stands on Saturday evening.
Telstar continues where it had left if PSV does not push through. Courage -combining, interspersed with a direct long ball. Telstar coach Anthony Correia changes daring, brings two strikers with Kay Tejan and Milan Zonneveld. That provides new energy – and a corner.
That is the site of assistant Robbert Michielsen, a young trainer who studied applied psychology at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam until 2024. He is responsible for the attacking standard situations, he endlessly analyzes corners of opponents. The day before PSV out he came with a new variant.
Just before Guus Offerhaus kicks the corner, the defender gestures by briefly crossing his arms. Probably the sign for the new variant. Offerhaus gives low, PSV player Veerman has to defend the first zone in the penalty area but seems surprised, Nils Rossen blocks Perisic, which means Patrick Brouwer has a free job and can shoot high in the right-hand corner: 0-2. PSV looks completely overwhelmed.
They had “no grip” on Telstar’s playing method, says attacking midfielder Guus Til at ESPN. “That made us play away at times.” In the first half, Schouten says, they were “outclassed.” Bosz: “They have trumped us in all areas.”
A rare flute concert sounds in Eindhoven, when Bosz compliments his colleague Correia. “I have a lot of admiration for the opponent,” he says at ESPN. Great, but Correia does not want to make the success of his team too great. “We just play a normal game of football.” Four points from four duels – the left row is sitting.
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