Willem II goes into the short winter break with a good feeling. After the cup disgrace last Thursday against the amateurs of VV Noordwijk, the Tilburg team made an impression in front of their own audience on Sunday. With the 4-1 win over NEC, coach Peter Maes’ team will end 2024 as number nine in the Eredivisie.
The Tilburg supporters showed a number of banners before the start of the match, with one banner remaining over a small portion of the supporters in the initial phase. Under that cloth it looked like a small fireworks shop, because after ten minutes dozens of flares were lit all over the KingSide. Referee Richard Martens decided not to temporarily stop the game, but did stop the game, with the players remaining on the field waiting for the smoke to clear.
After the fantastic action by the supporters, which will undoubtedly earn the club another penalty from the KNVB, it was Willem II that took the lead after twenty minutes. It needed the head of NEC defender Iván Márquez for that, who outwitted his own goalkeeper Robin Roefs from Heeswijk-Dinther. The guests’ response soon followed. Goalkeeper Thomas Didillon-Hödl first had an answer to a Nijmegen bet, but he had no chance on striker Koki Ogawa’s rebound.
Even before half time it was the home team who took the lead again. Striker Jeremy Bokila got in front of his man and neatly nodded a cross into the corner: 2-1. Just before half time, the crowd favorite was close to his second goal, but this time his header went wide. In any case, Willem II went to the dressing room satisfied, because it played one of the best halves this season.
Goalie saves
In the first fifteen minutes after halftime, it was the Willem II goalkeeper who attracted the most attention. With two saves, the second of which was particularly beautiful, he maintained the lead for his team. After more than an hour, the home team struck. The fast Nick Doodeman broke through on the right, kept the overview and served Ringo Meerveld: 3-1.
Then we had to wait for the 4-1. Bokila had a great chance to decide the match fifteen minutes before the end. The striker passed the goalkeeper, but then had too little strength to pass the defender standing on the line. Shortly afterwards the fourth goal seemed to fall for Willem II. The King Willem II Stadium exploded, but substitute Emilio Kehrer’s goal was disallowed for offside on the advice of the VAR.
Nevertheless, the Tilburg storm did not subside and in the 86th minute it was still 4-1. It was extra festive for Boris Lambert, because it was his first goal of the season. The audience rewarded the team with a standing ovation in the final phase and celebrated extensively with the players afterwards.
Left row
With the win, Willem II ends the calendar year in ninth place in the left row. It is extra nice for the Tilburg supporters that NAC Breda has passed in the rankings on goal difference. After the winter break, coach Peter Maes’ team can get back to work with FC Twente (away), Feyenoord (home), RKC Waalwijk (away), AZ (home) and PSV (away).