Willem II takes crucial three points

Grenade impact
It turned out to be a postponement of execution for Jong AZ. Once again it was Oosting who became dangerous. This time the attacker served Rob Nizet, who had come along, who relentlessly pulled the trigger. Now it was Jong AZ that was suddenly on the ropes. The young Alkmaarders tried to regain the initiative, but coach Peter Maes ordered his men to play further from their own goal than in the initial phase. After the break, Willem II continued where it left off. First, star player Nizet sent Svensson into the depth with a beautiful pass. Hilterman’s cross was on target, but the striker aimed wide. The top scorer did not worry about that miss for long, because he kept a cool head in front of goal during the next attack. His shot hit like a grenade behind Owusu-Oduro: 3-1.

Pole position
Supported by the large lead, Willem II controlled the match. Jong AZ did push, but did so with a lot less conviction than in the opening phase. However, the home crowd breathed a sigh of relief when Smits knocked a devastating long shot from substitute Misha Engel out of the goal in an unparalleled manner. It was a credit to the guests that they continued to try desperately to get back into the match, but the youngsters lacked the finesse to dismantle the Tilburg bastion. Smits had to take action again when Loek Postma made a bet, but otherwise Willem II survived relatively easily. In injury time, Amine Lachkar received a red card, much to the dissatisfaction of coach Maes.

The final agreement was for the invaders. A beautiful cross from Valentino Vermeulen was headed into the intersection in an equally beautiful way by De Leeuw. Despite the difficult opening phase, Willem II achieved a large 4-1 victory and remains in pole position for promotion to the Eredivisie.