Vitesse has suffered a defeat in the Eredivisie for the fourth time in a row. After losses against FC Volendam (2-0), Ajax (1-2) and AZ (0-1), coach Phillip Cocu’s team was also unable to cope with Sparta Rotterdam on Saturday: 3-1. The visitors from Arnhem took the lead early, but were left empty-handed, partly due to the hesitant goalkeeping work of Kjell Scherpen. Vitesse is fourteenth, only three points above the feared sixteenth place.
At Sparta, Jonathan de Guzmán (injury) and Adil Auassar (suspension) were missing in the meeting with Vitesse. Trainer Maurice Steijn chose Jeremy van Mullem in midfield to replace De Guzmán. The successful coach also chose the players who triumphed 1-4 at Excelsior last week. Cocu did not have access to Nicolas Isimat-Mirin in Rotterdam. Right back Carlens Arcus, still a basic player against AZ, started on the bench. Ryan Flamingo was his replacement and Mohamed Sankoh was trusted as the deepest striker. Million Manhoef therefore moved to the right flank.
The fans of @SpartaRotterdam send a signal to national coach Ronald Koeman?? “Olive in the Dutch”??
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) March 11, 2023
The first corner of the game at Het Kasteel gave Vitesse the lead in the eighth minute. The ball came into the possession of Kacper Kozlowski, who penetrated the sixteen on the back line and served Alois Oroz. The center defender who came along did not hesitate and shot impeccably: 0-1. The Arnhem joy was short-lived, because only five minutes later the 1-1 appeared on the scoreboard. Arno Verschueren correctly assessed a free kick by Vito van Crooij and headed in. After more than half an hour of play, Nick Olij proved his worth after a too short back pass from Bart Vriends: the Sparta keeper saved on a bet by Manhoef and also neutralized Kozlowski’s rebound.
It was not Vitesse, but Sparta that went to rest with a minimal lead. In the final minute, Scherpen did not process a cross from the flank properly, after which the ball ended up with the waiting Koki Saito. The wing attacker took advantage of the great opportunity and once again made the Sparta crowd cheer. Again a dubious leading role for Scherpen, who did not look good last week with Jesper Karlsson’s long shot, which resulted in a goal. The goalkeeper was released with a fright shortly after the break when he passed under a cross from Van Crooij.
Ten minutes before the end, Vitesse took another blow: Maximilian Wittek went in with a straight leg on the foot of Shurandy Sambo and after seeing the images, referee Laurens Gerrets drew a direct red card. Sambo even had to be changed due to Wittek’s strong tackle. Five minutes before the end, Scherpen made a skilful save on a shot from close range by Verschueren, but Sparta scored after all a minute later. Joshua Kitolano hit hard from a measured cross from the excellent Van Crooij. Sparta continues to do great as a sub-topper, while Vitesse has to fear and will meet PSV next week.
| No. | Team | m | W | G | v | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feyenoord | 24 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 32 | 55 |
| 2 | AZ | 25 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 23 | 53 |
| 3 | Ajax | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 43 | 52 |
| 4 | PSV | 24 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 33 | 49 |
| 5 | FC Twente | 25 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 21 | 44 |
| 6 | Sparta Rotterdam | 25 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 43 |
| 7 | FC Utrecht | 24 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 37 |
| 8 | RKC Waalwijk | 24 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 32 |
| 9 | SC Heerenveen | 24 | 8 | 7 | 9 | -5 | 31 |
| 10 | NEC | 24 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 30 |
| 11 | Fortuna Sittard | 25 | 8 | 5 | 12 | -13 | 29 |
| 12 | Go Ahead Eagles | 24 | 6 | 8 | 10 | -9 | 26 |
| 13 | FC Volendam | 24 | 6 | 5 | 13 | -25 | 23 |
| 14 | Vitesse | 25 | 5 | 8 | 12 | -16 | 23 |
| 15 | FC Emmen | 25 | 4 | 9 | 12 | -20 | 21 |
| 16 | Excelsior | 25 | 6 | 2 | 17 | -39 | 20 |
| 17 | Fc Groningen | 25 | 4 | 5 | 16 | -25 | 17 |
| 18 | SC Cambuur | 24 | 4 | 4 | 16 | -23 | 16 |