RKC Waalwijk gave up a 0-2 lead to AZ in just fifteen minutes on Saturday evening. There seemed to be no problem for the Waalwijk relegation candidate for almost 70 minutes. Two great goals from David Min seemed to give RKC some relief in the rankings, but in no time they found themselves trailing 3-2. And this did not change, which made the grapes very sour for the team of trainer Henk Fraser.
And it started off so great for RKC. The spell was soon broken by Min, who again kept Michiel Kramer on the bench. The striker scored after a nice attack and a clever passing move. The way the same Min made it 0-2 just before half time was truly phenomenal. From the center circle he managed to aim the ball over goalkeeper Mathew Ryan.
The usually reliable AZ defender Yukinari Sugawara was responsible for both Waalwijk goals. In the second half, when more than 65 minutes had been played, he scored: 1-2. RKC did not have to panic yet, but that quickly changed when Ibrahim Sadiq scored his first goal ever for AZ. A few minutes later, RKC received another blow when Vangelis Pavlidis made it 3-2 with a nice heel. The Greek now leads the top scorers list in the Eredivisie together with PSV player Luuk de Jong.
Fraser tried to turn the tide with some substitutions, but RKC ultimately returned from Alkmaar empty-handed. The defeat was undeserved, but above all unnecessary. On the RKC side, Min, Chris Lokesa and goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen received a yellow card.
Fraser was not angry afterwards: “Of course everyone is frustrated, irritated and disappointed because we really tried to make it a game again. But,” he also said in front of the ESPN camera, “this is the picture of the whole season. We are still unable to make things go our way in these kinds of games. As in most games, it is a pity that we have now scored two goals in a row this was not enough. It will remain exciting for survival until the end.”
