Make that 17 matches unbeaten for NEC Nijmegen after yet another win tonight, this time 1-0 against the Limburg side Roda JC.
- By Kalkeren Keiran
- Follow Kalkeren on twitter
Going into the match only three points separated the two sides at the top of the table, but it was the travelling supporters that made the journey that will be much the happier tonight, after brilliant build up to the top of the table clash, the Eerste Divisie had a new record attendance this evening with the attendance of 16’015 supporters in the Parkstad stadium.
In the opening moments of the match the best opportunity came from a Roda JC free kick from Tom van Hyfte, with Henk van Dijkhuizen directing the ball dangerously into the path of NEC Nijmegen’s goalkeeper Joshua Smith, who dealt well with the situation and after a series of prompting and probing neither sides were able to create a clear cut opportunity to break the deadlock.
Roda JC’s Ard van Peppen received a yellow card on the 42nd minute because of an infringement with Alireza Jahanbakhsh, after a wave of NEC attacks, the away side finally made the break through on the 43rd minute, thanks to the Belgian youngster Anthony Limbombe, although his shot was aided by some poor goalkeeping from Roda JC’s number one Bram Verbist. The home side could be considered a tad unlucky going behind as they had more possession and were arguably the better team in the first half, Limbombe’s goal separated the sides going into halftime.
Neither managers made any changes during the half, until the 63rd minute, which saw the arrival of Roda JC’s joint top scorer Marc Hocher, as Roda and Rene Trost’s team searched for an equaliser, It wasn’t long until the substitute was making his impact on the match, Hocher played a perfectly waited through ball to the feet of Frank Demouge but the post came to the rescue of Smith in the NEC net.
The home side came close again on the 89th minute, when Guy Ramos’s fantastic shot was well saved by Smith, who was coming under severe pressure from the Roda JC attackers and now defenders.
A series of late NEC substitutions ran down the clock to the frustration of the home supporters, Roda JC failed to create anymore chances as referee Bas Nijhuis blew the final whistle at the Parkstad stadium.
The match finished 0-1 to NEC Nijmegen, the result means that NEC now lead Roda JC by six points at the top of the table, more importantly the result also means that Roda JC have failed to get entry into the play-offs as Almere City defeated Jong PSV, making them winners of period two and giving Almere that all important ticket into the play-offs. A disappointing night for fans of the Limburg side, who will now have to fight for automatic promotion or attempt to win period 3 of the competition. A massive result for the away side tonight, who now move a step closer to securing automatic qualification back into the Eredivisie.
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