NEC has lost their fifth cup final, a unique statistic in Dutch football. Then Feyenoord’s score is much better. The Rotterdam team managed to win fourteen of the eighteen finals they played.
The final was marred by constant fireworks from the stands. The match had to be temporarily stopped in the first half when there was a huge smoke development due to the lighting of torches and smoke pots in the NEC section. After halftime, the match had to be stopped for a longer period of time after a fire broke out in the canal in front of the Feyenoord section. A torch that had entered the moat had ignited the enormous curtain that had been unfurled for the match. The security guards were unable to put out the fire and the fire brigade even had to be called in. The match was stopped for at least fifteen minutes.
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Before the start of the match, the supporter groups of Feyenoord and NEC had unfurled mega banners. The Nijmegen fans even have two different ones. One of them, with the text ‘Yes, that dream of yours and mine is real’, reflected on the song ‘Dance with me all night’ by the Nijmegen party formation De Sjonnies, which has become the anthem of this successful NEC season . The Feyenoord fans responded to the guests with the text ‘Destroyer of Dreams’.
After four previous cup finals, all of which were lost, NEC cherished the dream of finally bringing the KNVB Cup back to Nijmegen. Full of expectations, 17,500 NEC fans had made the trip to De Kuip. A long line of 160 buses had left Nijmegen earlier in the afternoon, cheered on from viaducts by fans staying at home.
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Young dog
At NEC, trainer Rogier Meijer had made a starting place for Youri Baas. The Ajax loanee played on the left front and was able to contain the emergence of Feyenoord right back Bart Nieuwkoop with his defensive qualities. Baas was one of the three players who had to provide the attacking impulses behind striker Koki Ogawa, together with veteran Tjaronn Chery, as the oldest player on the field, playing like a young dog, and the Japanese seasonal revelation Kodai Sano providing the attacking impulses.
Feyenoord had suffered a formidable setback in the run-up to the final. Mats Wieffer, one of the strong players of this season, appeared to have been seriously injured earlier in the week and arrived at De Kuip on crutches. In addition to Quilindschy Hartman, it was the second basic player that Feyenoord coach Arne Slot had to miss. Ramiz Zerrouki played in Wieffer’s position
Offside Chery
While the NEC fans in the stands kept pace with those of Feyenoord in terms of volume, the teams on the field were also very evenly matched in the first half. The first big opportunity was for NEC. Baas was unable to get a header past Feyenoord goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther (ex-Anderlecht).
While the favorite Feyenoord initially appeared rather sterile and did not really manage to become dangerous, the smoothly combining NEC succeeded. It resulted in chances and even a goal through Chery, but the flag was raised for offside, much to the disappointment of the cheering NEC fans. Feyenoord had little to offer in return. There were nice shooting opportunities for Zerrouki and Lutsharel Geertruida, but both chased the ball over.
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Fire and strike
NEC went into the dressing room as a moral winner, but the match picture had changed at the start of the second half. Feyenoord gained the upper hand and NEC was forced more into the defensive. Meanwhile, the clouds of smoke behind Cillessen’s goal became increasingly thicker. When arriving after half time, many torches were lit in the Feyenoord section and this led to the burning banner in the canal, which forced the match to be temporarily stopped. A fate that previously also befell the final between Ajax and PEC Zwolle, also due to fireworks nuisance.
Immediately after the restart, Quinten Timber tested NEC goalkeeper Cillessen with a hard shot, after which Igor Paixao shot the rebound over. Immediately after the interruption, NEC was put with its back against the wall by Feyenoord. The strong phase of the home team resulted in a lead, when a shot from Paixao that fell in via the inside of the post was too powerful for Cillessen. The goalkeeper still touched the ball, but could not stop it.
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Feyenoord is holding out
Feyenoord seemed to push through immediately, but Geertruida’s goal was disallowed for offside and immediately afterwards Yankuba Minteh received two yellow cards in a short period of time, meaning the home team had to continue with one man less. NEC sensed an opportunity and immediately took more and more initiative in the match, resulting in a great opportunity for substitute Sylla Sow after good preparatory work by Bart van Rooij.
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On the other side, Ayase Ueda failed to decide the final. NEC launched a final offensive and saw substitute Rober Gonzalez with a header, Sandler with a fiery shot and Sandler from a scrimmage coming close to the equalizer, but Feyenoord held out and took second prize under coach Arne after last season’s national title. Key lock.
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