After six draws in a row, Almere City FC knows what losing is like again. For a moment it looked like tie number 7 was about to occur, but with two minutes of official playing time left on the scoreboard, Sparta Rotterdam scored the winning third goal and took home the full win. Due to the loss of numbers 17 and 18, Volendam and Vitesse, Almere City FC can no longer be directly relegated this season and with four games to go, the gap with the play-off spot (RKC) is nine points.
Alex Pastoor’s team started well. Almere City FC took the lead in the 5th minute through Yoann Cathlin. Sparta keeper Nick Olij did not look good with this quick goal. After the goal, City still had good chances, but were unable to advance further.
Sparta leveled fifteen minutes later. Bakari took off on the right and served Tobias Lauritsen. He was able to run the ball in from close range. Sparta continued to play good football after the equalizer and took the lead after half an hour of play. Djevencio van de Kust shot the ball high into the net and set the halftime score at 1-2.
Equalizer
In the second half, Almere City FC went on the hunt for the equalizer, but there were no real opportunities in the beginning. As the match drew to a close, however, City became more threatening and Van la Parra and Robinet were close to the equalizer.
The deserved equalizer finally came three minutes before the end. Thomas Robinet was the scorer and the stadium prepared for the seventh draw. However, the joy did not last long, because immediately from the kick-off, Verschueren volleyed the ball behind goalkeeper Samuel Radlinger after no defensive intervention: 2-3.
Almere City FC will have to wait at least another week before they can finally play safely. The tough away match at number three FC Twente is scheduled for next week.
Trainer Alex Pastoor afterwards: “We did not do our defensive work when Sparta conceded goals. It was a series of things that were wrong. We had complete control over the first 15 minutes, just like in the entire second half. We had a bit of an upper hand and later complete dominance, but this did not lead to any real big chances. We had little to fear behind.”
Ultimately, the equalizer, but also the winning one for Sparta, came in the final phase: “Then you have to be patient and we were able to do that. We reached the same level, it’s a pity that we then helped Sparta win,” said the coach, who continues to focus on the next match and does not want to waste energy on the rankings with the large gap to 15th and 16th place.
Photo Almere City FC – Ron Baltus / sportshots.pro
