“Telstar broke the deadlock against the run of play as Sem van Duijn finished coolly to put the visitors ahead 0-1. It was a sucker punch for NEC, who had been the dominant side but were punished on the counter.”
Pivotal“Ronald Koeman Jr. was booked for time-wasting as Telstar tried to run down the clock, a sign of how close the visitors were to completing a famous upset and how desperate the bench had become to hold on.”
“Tjaronn Chery equalised for NEC in the 85th minute to make it 1-1, rescuing a point for the hosts after they had laboured for over an hour to break down a resolute Telstar defence. The goal finally rewarded NEC's relentless pressure but came too late for them to push for a winner.”
Pivotal“Youssef El Kachati had a moment in injury time that threatened to reshape the final result, though NEC were unable to convert the opportunity into a winning goal.”
NEC Nijmegen
Telstar
Outstanding performance
NEC Nijmegen•AttackerNEC Nijmegen dominated this fixture from first whistle to last — 70% possession, 21 shots, 83 dangerous attacks, and nine corners — yet found themselves behind until the 85th minute against a Telstar side that played on the counter and made every clearance count. Telstar's Sem van Duijn punished a lapse in the NEC backline on 32 minutes, and the visitors spent the remainder of the match absorbing pressure, accumulating five saves from their goalkeeper and winning 15 tackles in a disciplined defensive display. NEC's profligacy was striking: three big chances missed from four created, and a mounting sense of frustration reflected in five yellow cards across the afternoon — including one to Ronald Koeman Jr. for time-wasting in the 82nd minute, a moment that summed up the tension on the touchline. Chery's equaliser eight minutes from time spared NEC from a result that would have raised serious questions heading into the final stretch of the Eredivisie season, though a draw at home to a side from the lower reaches of the table will do little to ease concerns about their ability to convert pressure into points.
How entertaining was this match?
Deveron FonvilleYellow CardDeveron Fonville receives a yellow card.
VAR decision: Goal disallowed for offside against Youssef El Kachati.
Youssef El KachatiYoussef El Kachati scores with a right-footed shot.
Koki Ogawa's header hits the post.
Youssef El KachatiGoal! Youssef El Kachati scores, making it 2-1.
Soufiane Hetli takes a left-footed shot, but it's saved.
Jelani Seedorf's header is saved.
Koki Ogawa takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Tjaronn CheryTjaronn Chery scores with a left-footed shot.
Soufiane Hetli takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Yellow card issued to Ronald Koeman.
Koki Ogawa's header attempt misses the target.
Koki Ogawa's right-footed shot is blocked.
Sami Ouaissa's right-footed shot is blocked.
Soufiane Hetli takes a left-footed shot, but it's saved.
Jelani Seedorf comes on for Tyrese Noslin.
Koki Ogawa's header attempt misses the target.
Kay Tejan replaces Sem van Duijn.
Tjaronn Chery has a left-footed shot, but it's blocked.
Tjaronn Chery takes a right-footed shot, but it's saved.
Koki Ogawa comes on for Bram Nuytinck.
Brayann Pereira replaces Bryan Linssen.
Youssef El Kachati is on, and Noe Lebreton is off.
Danilo Pereira da Silva is substituted off for Eli Dasa.
Tjaronn Chery takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Tjaronn Chery takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Philippe Sandler takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Sami Ouaissa takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Noe Lebreton's right-footed shot is blocked.
Patrick Brouwer takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Soufiane Hetli replaces Tyrone Owusu.
Sami Ouaissa takes a left-footed shot but misses.
The first half ends with the score at 0-1.
Tyrone Owusu takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Guus Offerhaus receives a yellow card.
Sem van DuijnSem van Duijn takes a shot with his right foot and scores.
Cedric Hatenboer takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Sem van DuijnGoal! Sem van Duijn scores, making it 0-1.
Danny Bakker attempts a header but misses the shot.
Noe Lebreton receives a yellow card.
Bryan Linssen takes a right-footed shot that hits the post.
Sami Ouaissa's left-footed shot is blocked.
Noe Lebreton's right-footed shot is saved.
Philippe SandlerYellow CardPhilippe Sandler receives a yellow card.
Cedric Hatenboer takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Kodai Sano takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Eli Dasa's right-footed shot is saved.
Kick-off! The referee is Jeroen Manschot.
Third-placed NEC Nijmegen host relegation-threatened Telstar at Goffertstadion in a clash where the stakes could hardly be more different. NEC need points to stay ahead of Ajax and FC Twente in the battle for European places, while Telstar are scrapping for their Eredivisie lives in 16th. Expect a tense, motivated home side against a gritty visitor with everything to lose.
