The RKC – Ajax match was permanently stopped on Saturday evening after RKC goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen collided hard with an Ajax player. That happened at the tail end of the match. The goalkeeper was resuscitated on the field. He was then carried off the field on a stretcher. Fellow players reacted in shock. Vaessen was later taken to hospital when he regained consciousness.
The goalkeeper collided hard with a player, Brian Brobbey, after 84 minutes of play. “It wasn’t right within three seconds,” our reporter saw. Players stood around the goalkeeper. He was also shielded with cloths while medical staff looked over him on the field.
The RKC goalkeeper was eventually carried off the field on a stretcher. This happened to loud applause from the excited audience.
Players gutted
Players from both teams reacted very upset. A number of RKC players left the field crying. Ajax players were also silent about it.
The match was initially temporarily stopped. Just after eleven o’clock it became clear that the match would no longer be completed. The players are too affected by what has happened, the stadium speaker shouted. The score was then 3-2 in favor of the Amsterdam team. The KNVB must now decide what to do with the match.
Thank you audience
The players from RKC and Ajax came onto the field to thank the public for their support. They received a huge applause from the audience, which was still silent and impressed. After a lap around the field, defender Dario van den Buijs could be seen being comforted by supporters along the field. The supporters of the Waalwijk team were in a corner of the field worrying about the upset football players, while the stadium continued to empty quietly.
An ambulance was now standing outside the stadium and took Vaessen to a hospital. The goalkeeper was conscious at the time.