De Graafschap has started the new season in the Kitchen Champion Division disappointingly. The team of trainer Reinier Robbemond lost 0-3 against the Roda JC Kerkrade of Jurgen Streppel on Saturday. De Graafschap grabbed next season in the regular competition as well as in the play-offs next to promotion and wants to make a new attempt this football year. The defeat in Reinier Robbemond’s official debut on the bench is therefore a major setback for the ambitious club from Doetinchem.
De Graafschap stood out in the preparation with a system with a lot of dynamics and depth, but Robbemond’s team didn’t get much time to build up against Roda. Just before the break, the home team was close to 1-0. A spectacular overhead kick by Giovanni Korte hit the post. Roda in turn started the game well, had more dangerous moments, but escaped after Korte’s bicycle kick.
Jubitana puts Roda at 0-2 with his second goal of the afternoon ?? ?? ESPN#grarod pic.twitter.com/fRkpZwmpSm
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) August 7, 2021
Streppel’s team took the match in the first fifteen minutes of the second half, partly thanks to De Graafschap. Patrick Pflücke got all the space in the axis of the field and put wide on Niek Vossebelt, after which Denzel Jubitana rounded off: 0-1. Less than ten minutes later, the debutant was not put in the way when the center of De Graafschap was completely wrong and he was able to continue towards Hidde Jurjus’ goal: 0-2.
De Graafschap had no answer for the double deficit in the remainder of the game. With the input of Danzell Gravenberch, and Ted van de Pavert in the striker, Robbemond clearly switched to Plan B, but that also had no effect. Just before time, the 0-3 also fell: Pflücke hit the mark after a nice action by Benjamin Bouchouari. Roda JC will play a home game against Excelsior next Friday, while De Graafschap hopes for a better result in the visit to MVV that same evening.
For Roda, the victory comes at a desired moment. This week, technical director Jeffrey van As was fired as a result of an internal power struggle with Joop Janssen, the chairman of the supervisory board. The departure of general director Martijn Wisman was also announced, although he will only stop in the autumn. René Trost and Robert-Jan Lambrichts already resigned from the supervisory board this summer due to dissatisfaction with Janssen’s performance. Supporters of Roda demanded in an open letter the departure of the board.
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