Saturday, November 6, 2021 at 9:53 PM

Sparta Rotterdam won for the first time since seven Eredivisie matches on Saturday evening. On a visit to Willem II, the team of trainer Henk Fraser booked a convincing 0-3 victory. Bart Vriends had a leading role with two goals before halftime; it is the first time in his career that the central defender has scored twice in one game. Due to the victory, Sparta rises to sixteenth place with ten points, while Willem II remains in ninth place with eighteen points.

The opening phase was all about scanning for both teams. Sparta handed out the first pinpricks after fifteen minutes of play. A shot by Lennart Thy was caught by Timon Wellenreuther, after which Emanuel Emegha was close to the opening goal with a hard slide not much later. The visitors pressed more and more and eventually managed to convert the dominance of the field into a goal. A pass from Bryan Smeets ended up at Vriends, who left Wellenreuther no chance with a header into the long corner: 0-1.

Within half an hour, Sparta managed to double the margin and again Vriends came on the scoreboard. The mandekker jumped higher than his direct opponent Ulrik Jenssen on a corner kick by Sven Mijnans and headed in from close range: 0-2. With his second goal of the match and third of the season, Vriends is now Sparta’s club top scorer. It was also only the first time in his career that the central defender scored twice in one game. Willem II made his first appearance just before half-time with a shot from Leeroy Owusu that changed direction.

Sparta controlled the game in the first fifteen minutes after the break. Willem II proved impotent offensively, which is why Grim intervened with one hour on the clock by bringing Argyris Kampetsis and Godfried Roemeratoe in line for the disappointing Mats Köhlert and Pol Llonch. The double substitution did not immediately have the desired effect, because the home team did not get further than a long shot from Owusu. Thy had a good opportunity halfway through the second half to close the game, but his teammate Smeets blocked the goal.

Fifteen minutes before the end, Willem II still hadn’t scored a shot between the posts. The game dragged on, but out of nowhere the visitors made the decision. Vito van Crooij gave in to Emegha, who was allowed to head in between the two central defenders of the home team: 0-3. Sparta then consolidated the comfortable lead in the final phase.