Feb 8, 2024 at 10:49 PM Update: 3 hours ago
FC Groningen was the last club to reach the semi-finals of the KNVB Cup on Thursday. After a bad match, the team defeated Fortuna Sittard via penalties. This means that after 38 years there are two First Divisionists in the last four.
After 120 minutes of football it was 0-0 in cold Groningen, where a lot of wet snow fell. In the penalty shootout, Oguzhan Özyakup and Mouhamed Belkheir missed on behalf of Fortuna. Luciano Valente was the only Groninger who failed.
On Wednesday, another Kitchen Champion Division club reached the semi-finals with SC Cambuur. The last time that two clubs from the second Dutch level reached the last four was in the 1985/1986 season. At the time, the honor went to RBC Roosendaal and ADO Den Haag.
Thanks to the victory over Fortuna, FC Groningen, which is sixth in the Kitchen Champion Division, can continue to hope for the second cup win in club history. The ‘Pine Cone’ was already conquered in 2015. Then the Groningers won as Eredivisie players in the final of PEC Zwolle.
On Tuesday, NEC was the first club to be among the last four in the cup tournament. Cambuur and Feyenoord were added on Wednesday. The draw for the semi-finals is Saturday at 10:30 PM.
FC Groningen goalkeeper Hidde Jurjus is very happy after Fortuna’s decisive miss. Photo: Pro Shots
Only the first half of Groningen-Fortuna is fun
Only the first half of FC Groningen-Fortuna Sittard was worth watching on Thursday. The home team hit the crossbar (Laros Duarte) and the inside of the post (Romano Postema) before halftime. On the other hand, Groningen keeper Hidde Jurjus saved from a bet by Kaj Sierhuis and a beautiful effort from distance by Justin Lonwijk.
In the second half there was hardly anything to enjoy for the audience in cold Groningen, where it was just below freezing. Gradually the fear of conceding a goal seemed to dominate and that was disastrous for the entertainment value.
Both FC Groningen and Fortuna Sittard were also unconvincing in extra time and a penalty series turned out to be inevitable. Experienced Fortuna midfielder Özyakup saw Jurjus save, after which Groninger Valente saw his effort saved by Michael Verrips.
The tenth penalty was missed by Fortunees Belkheir, who shot over. It led to a big party in Groningen, where one could not only hope for Eredivisie promotion, but also for a cup win.
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2024-02-08 23:00:39
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