Vangelis Pavlidis celebrates all-important goal with 2000 fans present

Friday, April 23, 2021 at 8:38 PM• Jeroen van Poppel

Willem II booked an important victory in the Eredivisie on Friday evening. Zeljko Petrovic’s team won, under the watchful eye of 2000 supporters present, from RKC Waalwijk: 1-0. Vangelis Pavlidis provided the only goal of the evening. It was the first Eredivisie game in which the public was present since September 27 last year. Willem II takes a three-point lead in fifteenth place on pursuer VVV-Venlo. Number fourteen RKC has one point more than Willem II.

From the start of the match, Willem II made it clear that he would only settle for a win. The home team took the initiative and created a number of opportunities in the first half, while RKC did not even attempt a goal. Kostas Lamprou kept the Waalwijkers going by struggling to save on a shot by Derrick Köhn, after which Ahmed Touba cleared the ball in the crowd. Even closer came Sven van Beek, who saw his header from a corner kick back into the field through the bottom of the crossbar.

Even after the break Willem II put pressure on Lamprou’s goal. In the 54th minute, the Tilburgers were rewarded for this. Mike Trésor Ndayishimiye made it to the back line on the left and laid low to Vangelis Pavlidis, who first went against fellow striker Kwasi Okyere Wriedt and could easily tap in the rebound: 1-0. The goalscorer was close again a little later, but this time it was unlucky that his bet hit the post from the edge of the box.

RKC had almost nothing to say, but Willem II was lucky in the final phase that a header from Richard van der Venne did not go into the goal. Goalkeeper Arijanet Muric felt half wrong on the apparently easy ball, which thus touched the post. Then Lamprou tapped a nice free kick from Köhn from the top corner. The Greek goalkeeper had to allow a rebound to Pavlidis, who fired at the keeper from close range. Sylla Sow had a good shot on the other side, but found Muric in the short corner in his path. Ché Nunnely could have decided the game and had already outplayed Lamprou, but then hit the side net.


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