Sunday, October 31, 2021 at 4:26 PM• Last update: 16:43

NEC won against FC Groningen on Sunday afternoon without too much effort. The home team, which had to finish the game in the Goffer Stadium without an audience after part of the stands collapsed in the game against Vitesse two weeks ago, triumphed 3-0. The Nijmegen team thus booked the third win in a row this week, after the 1-2 victory over FC Twente and the victory in the TOTO KNVB Cup against Capelle (0-3). The team of trainer Rogier Meijer is in seventh place thanks to the victory. Groningen has to make do with place fifteen.

In the first half, the home team was by far the dominant side. The visitors had nothing to contribute in the first 45 minutes and it was mainly thanks to Groningen goalkeeper Peter Leeuwenburgh that NEC did not have a large lead before half-time. After four minutes Jordy Bruijn tried to open the score with a bicycle kick. However, the midfielder of the Nijmegen team did not get the ball full. The first real danger from the home side came in the eighth minute, when Édgar Barreto fired a long shot from the second line just wide of the left corner of the Groningen goal.

After half an hour of play, the next big opportunity presented itself for NEC, when Souffian El Karouani saw his slightly deflected shot just outside the penalty area being tapped from the right corner by Leeuwenburgh. A minute later it was again the closing post of the pride of the north who kept his crew going. Elayis Tavsan handily dribbled past Leroy Duarte in the penalty area, after which the NEC attacker’s shot was taken by the goalie from the short corner.

In the stoppage time of the first half, NEC managed to convert the dominance of the field into a goal. A weak pass from Mohamed El Hankouri could be intercepted by Ali Akman, after which the striker passed the Leeuwenburgh who had come out and was able to easily work the 1-0 into the empty goal. The mercenary of Eintracht Frankfurt thus signed for his second league goal of the season. After the break, Groningen came out of the dressing room a little stronger. El Hankouri, however, shot wide in a promising position, failing to make up for his mistake on the opening goal.

After ten minutes in the second company it was NEC that brought the difference to two goals. After a quick throw-in from goalscorer Akman, Leeuwenburgh was able to stop an attempt by Jonathan Okita in the first instance, after which the ball fell at the feet of Tavsan, who easily made it 2-0. The final chord came in the absolute final phase of Okita’s foot, who was accurate in the rebound after a cracked shot by substitute Javier Vet.