RKC seemed to be taking a huge step towards enforcement in the Eredivisie, but after a tumultuous final phase, it did not go further than a 1-1 draw.
While a large part of the Cambuur fans were still looking for their place with beer and bitterballen in their hands, Roberts Uldrikis was already working the ball against the ropes. After a smooth attack, RKC goalie Ettiene Vaessen came two minutes after the break just too late to stop the striker from scoring.
The tall Lett jumped on the boarding with joy, gave high fives and shouted with joy with the fans behind the RKC goal. Vaessen looked at the scene with a smile, at that moment he had already had the ball ready for a while to bring it back into play. Uldrikis was offside, the goal did not go through.
Two minutes later, Finn Stokkers was close to the opening goal. His shot from distance was saved by Sonny Stevens. The Cambuur goalie looked up a few seconds later, first startled and then relieved, a stray pass from Richard van der Venne ended just on the crossbar instead of in the goal.
From bad to something nicer
With that opening phase of the second half, Cambuur and RKC were able to entertain those present in the stadium more than they had done in the entire first half. At halftime, the teams left the field to a loud whistle from the home crowd. The football fans thus expressed their dissatisfaction with the level that had been placed on the artificial turf in the first 45 minutes.
The second half was – at least for the neutral spectator – a bit more fun to watch. Both teams played with the intention of scoring a goal. That urge to the front was even more apparent at RKC than at the home club. It was mainly the defensively oriented players who tried it – often from a distance. Attempts by Melle Meulensteen, Shawn Adewoye and Said Bakari flew over or wide without becoming dangerous.
The profit again?
The offensive intentions of RKC were eventually rewarded. More than fifteen minutes before the final signal, the 0-1 was made. Finn Stokkers checked a long ball and shoved it into the feet of the rising Michiel Kramer. The striker put Yassin Oukili in a promising position with a fine pass. He first cut in one more time, to then work the ball into the goal via Sonny Stevens and Doke Schmidt.
RKC did not seem to be able to enjoy the lead for long. Four minutes after the 0-1, Uldrikis approached Vaessen alone. The crowd started cheering again. This time it was not offside, but the Cambuur attacker’s effort ended in the side net.
turnaround
Hans Mulder made the 0-2 shortly before the end. But after the game had been stopped for a long time because the VAR needed minutes to determine whether the substitute was offside, the goal was disallowed. The moment it became clear that the goal did not count, the fourth man lifted the board with the extra time: eight minutes. It made the stadium explode for a moment, the fans of the home team once more crowded behind Cambuur. That’s what the RKC fans were doing singing and jumping all through the game.
After Vaessen managed to tap a bet from Uldrikis out of his goal in a fantastic way, the supporters of Cambuur threw all kinds of things at the goalie. After a short delay, the corner kick that still stood. From that corner, Milan Smit Vaessen had no chance, he headed the ball into the far corner and made it 1-1.
Due to the draw, RKC now has six points more than the numbers sixteen, seventeen and eighteen – PEC Zwolle, Sparta Rotterdam and Willem II. With a better goal difference, enforcement still seems a matter of time, although the long bus trip back home with two extra points would have been a lot better for coach Joseph Oosting, his players and the fans who traveled with them.