RKC has won a victory over direct competitor SC Cambuur in the seventh round of the Eredivisie. In the first half, the Leeuwarders already received two red cards, which meant that RKC was on the field for a long time with more players. It wasn’t until late in the game that the Waalwijkers managed to distance themselves from the visitors, eventually winning 5-1.
The switch was turned in Waalwijk after the late defeat against PSV. After a chaotic week, the formation of Joseph Oosting took on direct competitor SC Cambuur. RKC, which had two points more than the northerners prior to this round, won against Cambuur for the last time in 2011. In its own Mandemakers Stadium it was important to distance yourself from the lower regions.
RKC already had a windfall after eight minutes. Cambuur midfielder Mees Hoedemakers received the red card from referee Sander van der Eijk after a hard charge on RKC player Julen Lobete. The home team was allowed to continue with one man more for almost the entire game. Despite the man-more situation, she did fall behind: Jamie Jacobs pushed the ball in after a good attack by the visitors.
Second red card
The atmosphere became a bit grimmer in Waalwijk. Fanatic supporters of the away team focused on referee Van der Eijk. The stadium speaker even had to announce to stop the chants. Not much later, the same Van der Eijk puts the ball on the spot after the hands of goalscorer Jacobs. RKC captain Michiel Kramer used the knockout impeccably and so it was equal again after 32 minutes.
RKC got better and wanted to put things in order before the break. Oosting’s team insisted and they had opportunities to take the lead. Shortly before the break, referee Van der Eijk again drew attention when he sent Cambuur defender Alex Bangura off the field with a red card. There was nothing wrong with this decision. The red card was more than justified. In addition, trainer Henk de Jong was also sent to the stands.
11 to 9
The message for RKC was clear. Of course, with two more men and a whole half to play, we had to win. Cambuur parked the bus, quite logically, and had RKC come. The Waalwijkers had plenty of opportunities, but keeper João Virgínia was an obstacle time and again. RKC did not allow Cambuur to cross the halfway line and made an offensive change.
With the extra attacker, RKC had to break the Cambuur wall. In the 77th minute they finally succeeded: Florian Jozefzoon gave the ball to Pelle Clement, who wanted to serve one of the many attackers with a cross. Nota bene Cambuur defender Marco Tol was ultimately the man who clumsily worked the ball into his own goal.
A lead that was inevitable for the Waalwijkers. RKC was never allowed to give away the 2-1 again, and it didn’t. With about ten minutes to go, Zakaria Bakkali made his first goal in the yellow-blue and all uncertainty came to an end. Ilias Bel Hassani and Kramer also contributed. That brought the result to a whopping 5-1.