Willem II was also unable to win in the Eredivisie without trainer Fred Grim. Led by Denny Landzaat, the Tilburg team lost 1-0 to competitor Fortuna Sittard.
In the week leading up to the relegation cracker, Tilburg was of course mainly about the dismissal of Fred Grim and the deactivation of technical director Joris Mathijsen. But the match against Fortuna Sittard was also mentioned in every conversation, story or interview. A crucial match in the fight against relegation.
Should
For both clubs the assignment was very simple: they had to win. Landzaat was forced to tinker with the basic team, where Driess Saddiki was missing due to a suspension. Central defender Freek Heerkens moved on to midfield, while left back Derrick Köhn played central back.
Shortly before the start of the second half, Heerkens briefly walked to the branch, where he tried to put the fans on edge again with clenched fists and waving movements. The interests were clear. You often see that something like this influences the game, which is then fearful and hesitant. In this case, both clubs were already emphatically looking for a goal in the first half. You could almost call it a miracle that it was 0-0 at halftime.
On the side of Fortuna Sittard, Zian Flemming had a few very good opportunities in the first half hour. Two free kicks from the edge of the penalty area, however, posed no danger to Willem II, eye to eye with goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther, he shot wide in a very promising position in a short time. After the first thirty minutes, Willem II suddenly became dangerous a few times in a short time. However, Elton Kabangu, Ché Nunnely and Jizz Hornkamp saw their bets end on the hands of Yanick van Osch or on sliding Fortuna players.
Few chances
After the break, it seemed as if both teams suddenly realized that a lot was at stake. And just at that moment Fortuna Sittard struck hard. Lisandro Semedo got the ball on the right side of the field. Willem II gave him the time to give a pass. They shouldn’t have done that, because Flemming managed to put his head against the ball and nod the ball behind Wellenreuther: 1-0.
Willem II had to hunt for the equalizer, but it never came. The biggest chance was for Hornkamp, but he needed a lot of time and saw his shot get cracked. There was also no real final offensive. On the other hand, Fortuna was close to a hit a few times. Dimitrios Siovas shot high over the goal from close range, while Mats Seuntjens hit the post ten minutes before the end. The home team did not score anymore, but that was not necessary for the Limburg team. It won 1-0, leaving Willem II in even deeper trouble.
After 26 games, the counter is still at 22 points, only two more than Sparta Rotterdam and PEC Zwolle. However, the team from Rotterdam has played two games less, while the last player PEC also has one game to catch up on.
Program
Before the match against Fortuna Sittard, it was said that they had to win. Because it was against a competitor and because the points are desperately needed. But also because Willem II has a very tough program in the last eight games. Next Sunday it will play at home against AZ, to visit Feyenoord after the international break.