VV Gemert failed to perform in the KNVB Cup. The amateurs missed big opportunities on Tuesday evening and saw Premier League player Fortuna Sittard score early in the second half: 0-1. The match was marred by disturbances at halftime, with supporters of the Limburg club seeking confrontation with Gemert supporters. The start of the second half was therefore delayed by half an hour.
They were numbers 5 from the third division B and 12 from the Premier League, but that did not mean that there was a major difference in strength in the first half. In fact, Gemert was the team with the big chances. After 27 minutes, Matt Bolhuis went for the goal alone, but goalkeeper Mattijs Branderhorst made the save. Ten minutes later, Dylan van Diepen was close to making it 1-0, but the attacker’s volley went just wide. Fortuna Sittard had little to offer in return.
The more than 3,000 supporters at Sportpark Molenbroek saw two big chances from the home team in the final phase of the first half. First, a header from Gijs Vercoelen was cleared off the line by an opponent and shortly afterwards Bolhuis failed to open the score in a promising position.
Waiting for privacy settings…
After a very long break due to the disturbances, it was Fortuna Sittard that immediately scored the best chance through Kristoffer Peterson. It was a small miracle that it didn’t become 1-1 quickly afterwards. At first Bolhuis missed an opportunity, but Van Diepen’s mega chance after 52 minutes had to be taken. He shot hard against the crossbar in front of an open goal.
During the last half hour, Gemert continued to hunt for the equalizer, led by the crowd, but despite the fact that the Limburgers were under full pressure, there was no change in the score. The home team players went to the dressing room amid loud applause from their own supporters. From now on they can fully focus on the competition.
“We’re really disappointed that we didn’t win.”
As a real VV Gemert boy, midfielder Max Crommentuijn was proud of his team. “We can receive the compliments, but we are very disappointed that we did not win. We missed opportunities and at one point we were not in a good position and Fortuna scored. The heads were just down in the dressing room, but we go into the canteen with a good feeling.”
The battle-weary defender Lex van Dijk took all the time for his 64 fans afterwards. “I thought I wasn’t that fit at 85 kilos, but I would have liked to have continued for another half hour. The atmosphere was great, I got goosebumps. Given the odds, we should not have lost this match, but we can still be proud. Tomorrow we will go on holiday to Valencia and yes, I will feel the muscles on the plane.”
