It was all or nothing today for Hovocubo and it ended up being the latter unfortunately. The futsal players from Hoorn lost the decisive match for the national title of FC Eindhoven. Hovocubo lost 3-1.
After Hovocubo’s win in the opening match and last Friday’s narrow Eindhoven victory, the national champion futsal would be announced today. Both teams apparently were not weighed down by the great tension and made it an exciting game from the first whistle.
The two superpowers in Dutch futsal know each other through and through and that was also clearly visible in the first half. They played at the cutting edge and it was the details that made the difference. Hovocubo was the first team to benefit. Hicham Aklalouch was the end station of a brilliant attack: 0-1.
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Sander van Dijk: “I can’t blame my player” – NH Sport
FC Eindhoven, which finished the regular season as the list leader, quickly came alongside again. A free kick from Zakaria Amrani went with some fortune behind Hovocubo goalkeeper Dave Stet for the equalizer. Both teams remained evenly matched in the second half. Opportunities abounded, but this time FC Eindhoven struck. A quick counter was completed by Ayoub Boukhari who made it 2-1.
A summary of the game between FC Eindhoven and Hovocubo will follow later on this website. The summary can also be seen on Monday in a new NH Sport broadcast at 5.11 p.m.
In the last five minutes Hovocubo fought for what it was worth. Sander van Dijk brought in Noureddine Oulad Ben Youssef as an extra field player. The surplus situation gave Hovocubo great opportunities. Manuel Kuijk, the goalkeeper of Eindhoven and also of Orange, grabbed some beautiful balls. FC Eindhoven punishes a wrong pass by Hovocubo in the last minute and Said Bouzambou was able to score in an empty goal and thus put the 3-1 final score on the scoreboard.
After the final whistle, the party erupted in the sweltering sports hall in Eindhoven. It was the first national title for the home team since 2015. For Hovocubo, this means an end to three national titles in a row.
Hovocubo captain Mats Velseboer: “Apparently this is also part of sport” – NH Sport