FC Groningen leaves norovirus behind and continues its unbeaten run in Amsterdam

When the kick-off took place on Monday at the windy De Toekomst sports park in Amsterdam, the norovirus was still festering for a while. Not so much with the players of FC Groningen. They put full pressure on Jong Ajax from the very first minute as if nothing had happened.

No, it was Fred Grim who provided an afterburner. The FC Emmen coach announced via the channels of football channel ESPN that he still does not agree with the fact that the KNVB agreed to FC Groningen’s request to postpone the Dog Rugby derby last week due to the flu outbreak in the nearest neighbor. “We also have to play when we have sick or injured people,” grumbled Grim, who spoke of a strange turn of events. “That has actually always been the regulations.”

Thijmen Blokzijl

Meanwhile, FC Groningen was very curious about what after-effect the virus would have on the team after the last player fell on Saturday. That was Leandro Bacuna, who was still a doubtful case for Young Ajax. Ultimately, the captain had to be absent in the capital and Thijmen Blokzijl was his replacement. The 18-year-old from Groningen moved up in the pecking order since the departure of Radinio Balker to Huddersfield Town and was given a starting place for the first time since the beginning of October. He took his place in the heart of the defense, Marco Rente moved to the right wing.

Dick Lukkien estimated in advance that FC Groningen would have a tough job ahead of them in Duivendrecht, where Jong Ajax, just like FC Groningen, could boast a long series of matches without defeat. The Amsterdam team won four of the last nine matches and drew five times. Nevertheless, the northerners, who were undefeated in nine league matches and two cup matches, were the superior party at De Toekomst.

Hit by Bergen

As mentioned, the Groningers put a lot of pressure on the Ajax defense, which meant that it hardly had time to build up. Lukkien’s men quickly won the ball again and again and seemed to take advantage after a minute, when Johan Hove shot on the post and Ajax keeper Tom de Graaff was just able to make the save.

After a few blanks from Jorg Schreuders and Wouter Prins, the goal was scored in the seventeenth minute. It was the incredibly hard-working Jorg Schreuders who won the ball and brought his buddy Thom van Bergen into position. The 20-year-old from Haren decided to take a swing and shot beautifully via the underside of the crossbar. It was the attacker’s third goal, which temporarily silenced his critics who labeled him as a simple trotter. Last week in the cup against Excelsior, Van Bergen also provided an excellent assist.

Changed balance of forces

Even after the opening goal, Jong Ajax rarely came close to FC Groningen goalkeeper Hidde Jurjus, although the home club did have by far the most ball possession. FC Groningen mainly looked for ball conquests, after which they had to quickly find their way to the opponent’s goal. It mainly resulted in shots from distance, such as that of Luciano Valente after more than half an hour of play. The attacker, who increasingly moves in from the left side so he can use his strong right leg, shot a few meters wide.

After the break, trainer Dave Vos of Jong Ajax made a number of conversions. That, in combination with the strong headwind that FC Groningen had to deal with in the second half, changed the balance of power on the field. Perhaps it was also the norovirus that came into play for the northerners, who had less energy than in the first half. In any case, the Ajax players pressed more and, like FC Groningen, tried with a number of shots in the first half, but most of them lacked the necessary purity.

Good ending to a bad week

FC Groningen, which was playing increasingly sloppily, still managed to create a good chance for Romano Postema, who was able to almost run into Wouter Prins’ cross from the back line, if Ajax defender Ahmetcan Kaplan had not reached the ball a little earlier. Substitute Fofin Turay also provided a brief revival for the Groningen side, but the score remained 0-1. You didn’t hear FC Groningen complain about it after a bad week.