Excelsior and Roda JC Kerkrade started the Kitchen Champion Play-Offs with a 2-2 draw. The Rotterdam club seemed to be sitting on roses after the 2-0 lead halfway through, but the opponent from Limburg came back strongly after the break. Attack leader Thijs Dallinga, who finished the regular season as top scorer in the Kitchen Champion Division (32 goals), was once again important for Excelsior with a goal, although that was not enough for the win. The return match in Kerkrade is scheduled for Saturday.
The home team started the match with offensive intentions, which resulted in the opening goal in the tenth minute. Kenzo Goudmijn started the combination just outside Roda’s penalty area, only to get the ball back afterwards. The central midfielder entered the sixteen and left goalkeeper Rody de Boer no chance with a high and beautiful shot from the turn: 1-0. Excelsior continued to entertain the audience with attacking football afterwards. Roda JC hoped to get a penalty shortly before half time when Amir Absalem went down in the box, but the ball did not land on the spot. No check could be done either, because the VAR is not used in the play-offs.
† @excelsiorrdam blast off through Kenzo Goldmine!#deunion #excrod pic.twitter.com/LJ9PuUb6Gn
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) May 10, 2022
Shortly afterwards, a penalty was awarded on the other side, after a tackle by Roda defender Daryl Werker. Dallinga then made no mistake from eleven meters: 2-0. Patrick Pflücke shot past just before the halftime signal. Roda JC was unable to do anything back immediately and the Limburgers went into the dressing room with an unfavorable score. Shortly after the break, shots by Mats Wieffer and Goudmijn did not make it 3-0 for eager Excelsior. The third goal almost fell from a corner, but Roda again got away well. The visitors gradually got stronger in the second half and Excelsior started to look more and more for the space on the counter. Halfway through, however, good opportunities were lost to Wieffer and Reuven Nijmeijer, who were both stopped by De Boer.
Not the 3-0, but the 2-1 appeared on the scoreboard in minute 67. Dylan Vente fired in hard from long distance, which seemed to bring all hope back to Roda JC’s side. Just a minute after the connecting goal, defender Stefano Marzo, who had come along, signed for the 2-2. With ten minutes left in the exciting duel, Davy van den Berg seemed to complete the comeback. The ball did not go in through goalkeeper Stijn van Gassel and the crossbar. Three minutes after the scare, Excelsior almost regained the lead. Redouan El Yaakoubi’s header went just wide. Four minutes before the end, a shot by Siebe Horemans also missed the goal of Roda JC, who will receive a visit from Rotterdam on Saturday.