In the second match under Ron Jans, FC Utrecht lost heavily to NEC Nijmegen. In De Goffert it was 3-0 for the home team, who saw first goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen drop out with an injury. Dirk Proper, Magnus Mattsson and Bas Dost scored on behalf of the Nijmegen team. For the latter it meant his first goal of the season, against his former employer.
NEC started against Utrecht with a completely changed defense compared to the away match against PSV (4-0). Calvin Verdonk was at left back on Saturday evening, where he was still centrally stationed in Eindhoven. Philippe Sandler and Bram Nuytinck started there against Utrecht, while Bart van Rooij started on the right in defense. Dost also replaced Koki Ogawa in the striker role. Jans was forced to make one change at Utrecht. Vasilis Barkas was not fit enough to play, which meant that former NEC goalkeeper Mattijs Branderhorst was allowed to start between the Utrecht posts.
The first half had highs and lows for the Nijmegen team. After almost half an hour of play, goalkeeper Cillessen suddenly sat down on the ground. The experienced closing post was injured while kicking the ball and had to be replaced. Twenty-year-old Robin Roefs joined the team for him, which marked his debut in professional football. Immediately after this substitution, NEC took the lead. Proper shot in hard after a falling ball: 1-0. Shortly afterwards it was scored again via Mattsson, who was able to shoot in after a failed goal attempt with Bart van Rooij’s head: 2-0.
In the second half, the damage was even greater for Utrecht when their former striker Bas Dost was allowed to score from eleven meters. Moments earlier, Mark van der Maarel had committed a foul on NEC player Rober González, after which referee Dennis Higler – after VAR intervention – placed the ball on the spot. Dost knew what to do with this opportunity and shot the penalty: 3-0. After this goal, a final offensive by Utrecht quickly started, initiated by four substitutions by coach Jans after an hour of play. However, it was to no avail for the Domstedelingen, who were still given some options. Goalkeeper Roefs distinguished himself with a number of good saves, keeping the 3-0 score on the scoreboard.