Sunday, April 11, 2021 at 4:26 PM• Mart Oude Nijeweeme • Last update: 16:48

SC Heerenveen won the Derby of the North on Sunday afternoon. The team of trainer Johnny Jansen decided the game against FC Groningen in the second half: 0-2. On the side of the home team, Arjen Robben made his long-awaited return. The winger came in fifteen minutes before the end, but could not prevent a defeat. It was the first minutes for Robben since October 18, when he played against FC Utrecht for fifteen minutes. Nothing changes in the position in the Eredivisie: Groningen remains sixth, Heerenveen tenth.

The last three times that Heerenveen and Groningen met, the game each ended in a 1-1 draw. In addition, all editions were completed in the Abe Lenstra Stadium. During this edition, Groningen soon seemed to take the lead, when Jörgen Strand Larsen got an unmissable opportunity from Gabriel Gudmundsson. The winger took care of the preparatory work from the left side of the field, after which the striker only had to finish. Larsen beach, however, aimed too high and saw his volley disappear over Erwin Mulder’s goal.

On the other hand, Henk Veerman provided the first danger on behalf of Heerenveen. The striker was sent into the depth by Wessel Dammers and had a free passage towards Sergio Padt, but had to watch how the latter made a nice save on the shot in the lower left corner. Mulder also had a good intervention, when he saw Alessio da Cruz coming towards him after more than fifteen minutes of play. The Groningen attacker needed too much time, allowing Mulder to save. The biggest opportunity of the first company came in the name of Joey Veerman. The midfielder got the ball with some fortune and tried with a shot to the right corner, but saw that Padt again kept his goal clean.

In the second half there was significantly less to enjoy in terms of chances and Heerenveen continued to have a slight field predominance. The Frisians were rewarded twenty minutes before time for their attacking intentions after Gudmundsson Sherel Floranus ran on the heels in the Groningen penalty area. Referee Dennis Higler initially gave a free kick, but was called to the screen by the VAR, after which the ball went on the spot. Henk Veerman then stayed cool, sent Padt into the wrong corner and made his first penalty this football year with his fourteenth of the season.

Groningen then turned on and Danny Buijs brought Robben in, but it was the visitors who ended the game. Joey Veerman got the ball on the left side of the field and had a measured cross on Tibor Halilovic, after which it was a breeze for the midfielder of Heerenveen to slide in from close range. Groningen tried to force a connection goal, but Buijs’s team did not get any further than a shot by Robben that went a meter wide of Mulder’s goal.