Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 9:56 PM• Rian Rosendaal • Last update: 22:06

SC Heerenveen has suffered damage in the battle for eighth place and a ticket for the play-offs for European football. Trainer Kees van Wonderen saw his struggling team in their own Abe Lenstra Stadium get no further than a 0-0 draw against low-flyer Excelsior. Heerenveen comes with 42 points with two rounds ahead, as much as number eight RKC Waalwijk, which is currently playing the away match against number seven FC Utrecht.

Heerenveen was pretty impotent offensively in the first half. Excelsior, which has not yet scored away from home this calendar year, held its own fairly easily and was lurking behind the Frisian defense. The first big chance for the sloppy playing home team seemed to present itself shortly before the break. Ché Nunnely hoped to reach Sydney van Hooijdonk with a cross from the right flank, were it not for the alert Redouan El Yaakoubi to contain the danger in time. On the other hand, Pawel Bochniewicz prevented a shot from Arthur Zagre from flying into the target. So no goals half way in Heerenveen.

Excelsior felt that there was something to be gained in Friesland and showed the necessary guts in the second half. Xavier Mous, for example, had to act on a bet by Kik Pierie. Van Wonderen looked at it with regret and decided to bring in Pelle van Amersfoort for the disappointing Antoine Colassin. The disgruntled home crowd rallied when Thom Haye lined up for a free-kick, but quickly sat down again when the latter’s effort flew half a meter over the top corner. In the meantime, time was ticking away to the disadvantage of the rather impotent Heerenveen.

Substitute Reda Kharchouch could have made the evening even worse for Heerenveen. The attacker shot in a promising position and from close range, however, just wide, to the horror of everything and everyone at Excelsior. In the final minute Van Amersfoort just couldn’t reach the ball after a header from Jeffrey Bruma and Mous was alert when Lazaros Lamprou seemed to be dangerous. Both teams created tension in the final phase and the four minutes of injury time, but no goals were scored in the Abe Lenstra Stadium. Excelsior was the moral winner and for Heerenveen there was a whistle concert after the final whistle.