KNVB CupSparta was warned after RKC and Vitesse were eliminated by amateur clubs in the KNVB cup tournament this week. Nevertheless, the reserves that coach Maurice Steijn had sent into the field had a very difficult time with the OFC amateurs from Oostzaan. Substitute Tobias Lauritsen made the difference on the artificial grass in Purmerend with two goals: 1-3.
Maurice Steijn dared to send a completely different starting line-up against OFC from Oostzaan, in a match that was played on the field of the nearby VPV Purmersteijn in Purmerend. The OFC complex did not meet the requirements set by the KNVB for the lighting installation.
Steijn let goalkeeper Delano van Crooij (brother of Vito) make his debut, as did Mo Tahiri. Augustin Drakpe and Patrick Brouwers were in the starting line-up for the first time. Some more familiar names in this team were Shurandy Sambo, Mike Eerdhuijzen, Aaron Meijers, Jeremy van Mullem, Jason Lokilo, Mario Engels and Koki Saito.
OFC is certainly not a high flyer in its own competition, the Second Division. The club is last and lost to Jong Sparta with no less than 6-0. Yet that did not come to the fore at all on the artificial grass in Purmerend, where OFC took a more steadfast position than in the competition.
Sparta started well, because the first attack was hit. On a pass from 20-year-old Tahiri, who scored a hat-trick in that 6-0 win by Jong Sparta against OFC in mid-September, Lokilo hit the mark. The start Sparta hoped for.
Painful
But then things went awry – and not just a little bit. Sambo committed a foul in the penalty area, was booked and saw OFC player Niels Butter not fail from the penalty spot. It was painful how Sparta hardly created anything, just like OFC by the way. Van Crooij had to make a save once and Engels was close on behalf of the Rotterdammers.
The game picture hardly changed in the second half and so Steijn had to bring in guns from the bench, which he would rather have saved for FC Utrecht away next Sunday. Sven Mijnans and Arno Verschueren fell in halftime and around the seventieth minute it was time for attackers Tobias Lauritsen and top scorer Van Crooij.
The 24-year-old Norwegian grabbed the leading role with a striking slide and a little later also a header against the tired OFC. In this way he prevented the cup hangover that RKC and Vitesse were saddled with this week.
FC Utrecht
FC Utrecht was not surprised by the amateurs of Sportlust ’46 in the first round of the cup tournament. Thanks to two goals from Sander van de Streek and a goal in injury time from Sean Klaiber, trainer Henk Fraser’s team won 3-0 at Sportpark Cromwijck in Woerden, the home base of the club from the Third Division.
The best chances in the opening phase were for Sportlust ’46. For example, Utrecht goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas had to stretch to stop a shot from Kesly den Haag. Left back Django Warmerdam left FC Utrecht after fifteen minutes with a knee injury. His replacement Djevencio van der Kust gave the pass moments later from which Van de Streek opened the score. The FC Utrecht midfielder headed in the 0-2 from a corner in the seventieth minute.
PEC Zwolle had a hard time against HHC Hardenberg and eventually won 0-1 with a goal from Apostolos Vellios. Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV and AZ have been released by lot due to European worries and will only enter the second round from mid-January.
Results first round KNVB Cup
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