The European play-off tickets have been shuffled in favor of FC Utrecht for the time being, by taking a fairly large distance from Vitesse (3-1) in the semi-finals. The day after Willem II’s disgrace, the world suddenly looks very different in the Dom city.
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By Tim Reedijk
FC Utrecht – Vitesse is on the road for about seven minutes when Riechedly Bazoer van Vitesse, ex-FC Utrecht, looks to the sky and then hits his knees with both hands. He shouts something unintelligible to his midfield, then to attacker Lois Openda. Before the play-offs have well and truly started, Vitesse already seems to be working on a disastrous mission.
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He is still lucky that Tasos Douvikas’ header is not rewarded because of offside. But at that moment it is already 1-0, due to a goal by ‘mister play-offs’ Willem Janssen. His striking header in the initial phase makes Janssen, at 35 years and 319 days, the oldest goalscorer in the play-offs for European football since Pierre van Hooijdonk. And that in his 31st (!) play-off game of his career.
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The start of his farewell tour, before he sits down at the offices of VVV-Venlo on 1 July, is beautiful. Confusing, too. It has only been four days since FC Utrecht had perhaps the worst start, and the worst follow-up, in a game this season. On the final day of the Eredivisie, relegated Willem II made short work of FC Utrecht (3-0), which entered the play-offs exhausted and perhaps had the least chance of a European ticket on paper.
The consequences of this are also felt against Vitesse. Stadion Galgenwaard is by no means sold out for the most important game of the season for the time being. But what does such an embarrassment in Tilburg mean in a game as elusive as football?
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FC Utrecht claps against the errant Vitesse on top. After Janssen’s goal and Douvikas’ disallowed goal, Sander van de Streek makes it 2-0 after more than twenty minutes, after Vitessenaar Thomas Buitink lost the ball. Moments later, goalkeeper Jeroen Houwen of Vitesse saves on a back pass from a fellow player: exemplary for the form that Thomas Letsch’s team shows on the opening day of the European play-offs.
At FC Utrecht they already relied in advance on the experience that the team has with play-offs. Then you can be destroyed at Willem II and have only won one of the last ten competition matches: in Utrecht they say they know how to chop with the play-offs axe. Those are logical words in a preview, but the team of trainer Rick Kruys does not disappoint against Vitesse. Perhaps that is the experience of a team that often qualified for European football via the play-offs (five times) and is a record participant (twelve times).
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And, also encouragingly, in the last five editions of the play-offs FC Utrecht reached the final. It is far from that yet, but after tonight the world will look very different, with a lead that cannot be given away in Arnhem on Sunday. From the spot, Simon Gustafson extends the margin to three in the second half, although Patrick Vroegh’s goal against a little later is unexpected and unnecessary.
The fact is that, unlike on Sunday, FC Utrecht gives away almost nothing and thus provides itself a good starting position for the return. In the other semi-final, the surprising play-off participant SC Heerenveen has the best papers, after a sensational victory over AZ, achieved in injury time (3-2† A possible next opponent in the play-offs is a matter for later, but it is clear that the cautious dreams about a European ticket have started in the Dom city.
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