Saturday, August 6, 2022 at 8:46 PM• Mart van Mourik

Excelsior has crowned his return to the Eredivisie with a victory. The team of coach Marinus Dijkhuizen countered a visit to SC Cambuur to the first three points of the season: 0-2. The first goal was scored by Marouan Azarkan, while Julian Baas doubled the score just before half-time.

Returned trainer Henk de Jong chose to make Roberts Uldrikis the new captain after Erik Schouten’s departure to Willem II. The starting line-up of Excelsior lacked asset Yassin Ayoub, who was not fit enough to play an entire match. In the 65th minute of play, the latter still came within the lines for Kenzo Goudmijn. Michael Chacón was also not present: the midfielder was serving a suspension that he incurred last season in the play-off match with ADO den Haag.

The PhD student started the Eredivisie season in a convincing way, as the opening goal was already found in the tenth minute of play. After a failed corner from Cambuur, the team from Rotterdam switched quickly. Azarkan played on Couhaib Driouech from the side, then walked on himself and got the ball back. Afterwards he hit with a diagonal shot: 0-1. A few minutes later, Mitchel Paulissen hoped to equalize, but his effort was parried by goalkeeper Stijn van Gassel.

Cambuur was the dominant party in the remainder of the first half and came close to 1-1 via Jamie Jacobs, among others. However, the latter lacked sharpness and accuracy in the rounding. Excelsior was careful in the final phase of the attack, because the visitors doubled their lead on the stroke of the halftime signal. Goalkeeper João Virgínia only had half an answer to a long shot by Siebe Horemans, allowing Baas to tap in from close range. In the second act, the entertainment value dropped and life-sized opportunities were not available, leaving the scoreboard no more to change.

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