The match between PEC Zwolle and Go Ahead Eagles on Sunday afternoon did not produce a winner. PEC had the upper hand in most of the attractive IJsselderby, but the Bluefingers failed to convert their dominance into victory. On the Go Ahead side, Jamal Amofa received a red card just after halftime, after which PEC was able to quickly take the lead through Eliano Reijnders. However, Go Ahead tied the score thanks to a goal from Oliver Edvardsen, meaning both teams will have to settle for a point.
Both teams started unchanged compared to the previous Eredivisie match, in which PEC won against Almere City (1-2) and Go Ahead sc defeated Heerenveen (3-2). This means that the Zwolle team once again started with two strikers, in the form of Ferdy Druijf and Lennart Thy. Trendsetter Younes Namli again came from the right flank. Bee Kowet Dennis van der Ree was in front of the team. The trainer who was relegated with FC Groningen with virtually no chance last season replaced René Hake, who was absent due to private circumstances.
In the first half it was PEC that had the upper hand and that led to a few small chances. For example, Davy van den Berg was allowed to create twice from the edge of the penalty area and Zico Buurmeester had a chance after a good action from the emerging Bram van Polen, but the Zwolle team did not score. It was a few minutes before half time that Go Ahead seemed to take the lead. After an impressive dribbling action by Willum Willumsson, in which the Icelander passed three people, he shot into the short corner. However, after an extensive VAR check, the goal was disallowed, leaving the score still on the board at halftime.
PEC takes the lead in the IJsselderby via a wonderful combination: 1-0!??#pecgae
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) September 17, 2023
In the second half the audience was treated to more spectacle. Within two minutes, Amofa was sent off with his second yellow card. After losing the ball, the defender ran hard at Thomas Lam and committed a flashy foul. A few minutes later, PEC managed to capitalize on the manmeer situation. After a wonderful combination, it was ultimately Druijf who passed on Reijnders, who calmly scored: 1-0.
Despite the field dominance, the Zwolle team did not manage to hold on to the lead for long. About twenty minutes before the end, it was Bas Kuipers who broke through to Edvardsen, who was given too much space by the PEC defense and was able to head in: 1-1. Johnny Jansen’s team then pushed for the winning goal, but neither team scored again.