FC Emmen seemed to be heading for a result in Rotterdam for the first time this season, but Sparta struck twice in the final phase: 3-1.
The Drenthe club started the game at Het Kasteel moderately and was already behind after thirteen minutes. Rui Mendes lost an important game on the edge of his own penalty area, after which Mica Pinto was allowed to pass the ball completely free. The small but strong Vito van Crooij managed to nod the ball between two Emmen residents.
At halftime FC Emmen coach Dick Lukkien took midfielder Lucas Bernadou and attack leader Richairo Zivkovic to the side. Substitutes Mohamed Bouchouari and Ahmed El Messaoudi let the guests play faster forward and after a brilliant attack down the right flank, with an important role for Bouchouari and Mendes, Ole Romeny was able to shoot the ball at the far post: 1-1.
The equalizer gave the Drentse citizen courage. Until twenty minutes before time. Miguel Araujo had to make a foul on the halfway line, while he already had a yellow card in his pocket. Referee Pol van Boekel was relentless and gave him the second yellow card.
Not long after, the home team expressed the numerical superiority in the score. First, Van Crooij’s 2-1, who was allowed to head in again, was rejected due to offside. Not long afterwards, central defender Bart Vriends was allowed to work a corner kick against the ropes unhindered.
In stoppage time FC Emmen still seemed to steal a point in Rotterdam when Romeny made his second of the evening. However, the assistant referee soon realized that the FC Emmen attacker was in an offside position. The VAR then had to think about it for a long time, but in the end that party in Drenthe was canceled.
In the final seconds, substitute Mario Engels put an end to all uncertainty for the home team by making the 3-1. FC Emmen is still in seventeenth place in the Eredivisie and will receive FC Volendam in De Oude Meerdijk on Friday.