Willem II took a point against sc Heerenveen on Saturday. In its own King Willem II Stadium, the Tilburg team was the dominant party, but despite good intentions and many attempts, it failed to score. The team of coach Fred Grim should cherish the point in the fight against relegation, but in fact it took two points too little.
The interests were clear before the match. As number fifteen, Willem II was able to narrow the gap with Heerenveen, thirteenth in the Eredivisie, to one point. In the event of a defeat, the club from Friesland would have seven points more and would be out of the picture for Grim and his team for the time being.
Willem II’s intentions were clear from the first whistle. With the support of the supporters, the Tilburg formation went full for the win, where Heerenveen did not. It made for a monotonous picture, especially in the first half. The Tricolores had possession of the ball, but it was difficult to play football through the withdrawn defense of Heerenveen.
Opportunities
After the defeat against FC Groningen, Grim already indicated that it could be a bit more decisive in front of the opponent’s goal, while shooting from a distance could also be done. That didn’t happen. Or at least too little.
In the opening twenty minutes, Leeroy Owusu, Jizz Hornkamp, Görkem Saglam and Mats Köhlert all tried from the edge of the penalty area or beyond. It didn’t result in very dangerous attempts, but it did make the intentions of the home team clear. On the stroke of half-time, Saglam was very close to the opening goal with a hard shot. The ball flew towards the crossing and many fans bounced up, but to their disappointment, Heerenveen goalkeeper Erwin Mulder tapped the ball beautifully from the top corner.
Five minutes after the break it was again Mulder who managed to prevent a goal from Willem II. Hornkamp got the ball a few meters from Heerenveen’s goal. His effort was good, but Mulder managed to put a hand against the ball just in time. After an hour of play, the goalie tapped a header from Mats Köhlert over the bar. The German winger then urged the public to stand behind the team once more.
On the other hand, Timon Wellenreuther had very little to do. The German goalie, who played his hundredth game for Willem II, seemed to be right with twenty minutes to play. Sven van Beek, who was still active in the red-white-blue last season, headed the ball towards the Willem II goal. There it was Köhlert who managed to clear the ball on the line.
Final phase
In the last fifteen minutes, Heerenveen, which showed a little more in the second half than in the first 45 minutes, also sought more attack. So it ended up being an open game. With five minutes to play, Wellenreuther came very far from his goal, the fans in the stands held their breath for a moment. But the goalie did well and headed the ball away.
There were also no goals in the final phase, so Willem II had to settle for a point. Although Heerenveen will think differently if you only look at the final phase. Due to the 0-0 draw, the counter stands at 22 points after 25 games and it continues to shiver for the time being with relegation concerns.