RKC has again booked a draw in the second game of the season. The Waalwijkers played a weak match against PhD student FC Emmen. The team had few chances, but struck in the last minute to avoid a defeat. 1-1 was the final result in Emmen.
RKC started the season with a 2-2 draw against FC Utrecht. With the same eleven names, the Waalwijkers went in search of the first three-pointer with PhD student FC Emmen. About 130 RKC fans had made the long journey to Drenthe for the match against, most likely, a direct competitor in the fight against enforcement.
Just like a week earlier, the opening phase was not for RKC. Joseph Oosting’s team got away twice in the first ten minutes. FC Emmen striker Jassin Assehnoun was close to the goal both times. Many attacks from the home team came over the right side where RKC left back Thierry Lutonda struggled with Rui Mendes.
Weak RKC
It was striking that the RKC players often lay on the ground. Not because they were brought down by Emmenaren, but because they slipped on the apparently wet artificial grass. Perhaps that was the reason for the weak first half of the Waalwijkers. The team hardly created any chances and offered much less than the home team.
The first half ended with a remarkable moment: Emmen defender Miguel Araujo chased a long ball that went to Etiënne Vaessen. While Vaessen already had the ball in his hands, Araujo tackled hard on the goalkeeper. The defender only got yellow. The furious Vaessen sought a story from perpetrator Araujo after the half-time signal. It went off with a sizzle.
Earned backlog
After the break, RKC continued to do what it had been doing in the first half: playing bad football. Emmen brought more energy than the Waalwijkers and that ultimately resulted in a deserved lead. After captain Michiel Kramer lost the ball, the home team was able to switch. Lucas Bernadou got the ball in the box and fired a devastating hit in the top left corner. RKC faced a backlog for the first time this season.
Waiting for privacy settings…
Whether RKC was finally awake? No, because about ten minutes after the goal, Emmen got a huge chance to make it 2-0. Vaessen lost the ball, creating a dangerous situation in front of his goal. Mark Diemers got the chance from very close by to punish the mistake of the RKC goalkeeper. But with a great reflex, Vaessen made up for his blunder and kept RKC alive.
Even after the return of lost son Florian Jozefzoon, RKC was unable to make a fist against the champion of the First Division. The Waalwijkers wanted to, but didn’t have any opportunities at all. Joseph Oosting tried to force more danger with offensive substitutions. Thanks to the 1-0 deficit, the final phase remained exciting.
One more point
We had to wait for that one chance that RKC needed to get an undeserved point from this game. That one chance came: Jozefzoon gave the ball perfectly in the course of the substitute Julen Lobete. Unbelievable but true, Lobote rounded off RKC’s sparse chance in the last minute and leveled the team.
Moments later, Oosting’s team could even go home with the victory. But Jozefzoon shot a free kick in a promising position a few meters over. Three points would have been too much for the Waalwijkers. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. RKC can be happy with that, considering the entire match.