Huge relief in Euroborg, FC Groningen after penalties to KNVB Cup semi-final

Playing the quarter-finals of the KNVB Cup was a party in itself. The supporters of FC Groningen raised the mood even further in Euroborg with, among other things, a grandstand-wide banner. In the middle, according to a pamphlet handed out, stood the Groningen pirate Rock the Brazilian, before whom ships passed towards a box of gold. The text ‘we are going to hijack the cup’ left nothing to be desired in terms of clarity.

In the meantime, a team was getting ready on the field that could probably meet with the approval of every FC Groningen supporter. Partly due to Marco Rente’s flu, who was replaced by Leandro Bacuna, who had recovered from an injury, this time no fewer than seven players from our own training were in the starting line-up. A unique one.

“They are all boys who, because they grew up here, have extra feeling and emotion for the club,” said coach Dick Lukkien beforehand. “If you can play such a match at home, a beautiful display, you can hardly wish for more. We sometimes joke about it among the staff. It would be nice if we played another match with eleven Groningen players on the field. The fact that there are already seven says everything about our own training, but also about the boys themselves. They have made great strides and are working to become good professionals and mature players.”

Free kick on the crossbar

They proved the latter against Fortuna Sittard, because the Groningen team was no less than the Premier League player. After just fifteen minutes, Euroborg bounced back for the first time, when Laros Duarte shot a free kick onto the crossbar from an angle where he had previously kicked one in in a fantastic way against Jong FC Utrecht.

On the other side of the field, goalkeeper Hidde Jurjus once again distinguished himself with a few great saves. For example, the keeper turned away a bet from former FC Groningen striker Kaj Sierhuis, who powerfully caromed a cross from the back line towards the goal of the Groningen closing post. After half an hour, Jurjus again stood in the way of Fortuna Sittard’s opening goal when he parried a beautiful shot from Justin Lonwijk. FC Groningen escaped.

In the meantime, FC Groningen also made itself felt. Particularly in the last fifteen minutes of the first half, the home club put more pressure on Fortuna Sittard’s defense. One attack stood out. It was a great combination on the left flank between Thom van Bergen and Luciano Valente. The latter provided a sublime assist to Romano Postema, who seemed to shoot in with the left, but the celebration was canceled.

Via the fingertips on the pole

To the disbelief of the reddish striker of FC Groningen, the ball ended up against the inside of the right post via the fingertips of Michael Verrips. The ball then rolled straight over the line straight back into the hands of the Fortuna keeper. Not only Postema could not believe his eyes, the same applied to Lukkien on the sidelines who covered his face with his hands.

In the remainder of the first half there was another opportunity for FC Groningen through Leandro Bacuna, who got the ball in front of the back of the penalty area, but his shot flew high. In the meantime, the northerners themselves had to remain vigilant during a scrimmage in front of the goal. Guth seemed to have the ball in front of him, but he stranded on one of the many outstretched legs and ultimately on the hand of Jurjus.

The second half was a lot less attractive than the first. Both teams had difficulty creating new opportunities in the wet snow on the increasingly difficult field. Dangerous situations only arose from dead moments, of which Fortuna had slightly more than FC Groningen.

The home club lost a player along the way with Joey Pelupessy. The midfielder appeared to be left with a broken nose as a result of an unfortunate collision. He was replaced by Johan Hove, who had been sidelined as a precaution due to flu. In the meantime, the cup match increasingly turned into a typical 0-0 match, with FC Groningen leaving their own half less and less often.

Penalties

The logical consequence was an extension, in which FC Groningen had the greatest chance when the market separated, but substitute Rui Mendes was unable to capitalize on the last opportunity. Penalties had to make the decision, something that last happened to the northerners in 2013, then against ADO. This time Verrips, who was employed by the Groningers a few weeks ago, was the man to beat from eleven meters.

While Romano Postema (cold-blooded in the roof of the goal) and Nick Bakker (calmly in the corner) took advantage of their penalties, Hidde Jurjus stopped Fortuna Sittard’s second, which was taken by Oguzhan Özyakup. The annoying thing was that Luciano Valente also missed on behalf of the home club. Then Johan Hove and Marvin Peersman scored and Mouhamed Belkheir missed the last penalty for the Limburgers. The result was a gigantic discharge in Euroborg.

It remains to be seen who will be the opponent in the semi-final for FC Groningen. The draw is on Saturday evening, in which SC Cambuur, NEC and Feyenoord can be selected as opponents. The opening of the balls can be followed live on the ESPN program around 10:30 PM The Grandstand . The semi-final matches will be played on February 27, 28 or 29. The final is on Sunday April 21 in De Kuip.