Dutch Eredivisie: FC Utrecht 1, FC Groningen 0 – Ton du Chatinier delighted with the win
Dutch Eredivisie round 27 commenced with a hard fought encounter on Friday, as FC Utrecht claimed a well deserved 1 – 0 victory over free-falling FC Groningen. Team manager, Ton du Chatinier, finally has a reason to smile as he walks through the corridors
with his head held high after his troops recovered from a sequence of six consecutive league draws with a favourable result at Stadion Galgenwaard.
The first half of the match was uneventful and hardly created any chances, but both sides got things better in the second half. Utreg striker, Frank Demouge, scored the only goal of the match in the 60th minute. He headed the ball in to the net
from a corner when some sloppy defending allowed the striker simplest of finishes.
Chatinier praised his men efforts on the pitch. He said, “It still feels very good. It was not easy. In the first half, the pace was too low and we made too little use of the sides. After the break, it went much better. It was the end result that was delightful”.
The Utrecht outfit will play their upcoming encounter against the league leaders, PSV Eindhoven, on 20th March at Philips Stadion. Chatinier will be hoping that his side carry on with their good show and emerge victorious at Philips Stadion.
On the other hand, the Green-White-Army defence were at imperfection for the winner. However, the visitors at least evade the heavy defeat that they have seen in last three matches. Pride of the North had conceded 13 goals in a run of three defeats before
the 1 – 0 loss to Utreg.
The Green-White-Army are currently placed fifth in the league table, acquiring 44 points from 27 matches. However, at the end of the weekend fixtures, Pride of the North can drop down to seventh spot in the league table. Their poor show in recent weeks can
ruthlessly endanger their European ambitions.
Team manager, Pieter Huistra, was disappointed with his side’s performances in the recent weeks. A month before, Huistra troops were in the race for the Eredivisie title. However, their poor show has left them remain outside of the UEFA Champions League
spot as well.
The tactician admitted that the match in Galgenwaard was quite disappointing. Huistra said, “The first half was hardly worth the look. After the break, the battle became more open and interesting. We kept pace with FC Utrecht, but finally lost an unlucky
goal”.
Utreg will be brimming with confidence after their well-deserved victory over Pride of the North. The Utrecht outfit will be hoping to continue the good performance for the remaining fixtures. With seven matches left to play in the season, Utreg will look
to finish in the top five Eredivisie teams.