Vitesse is in dire straits now that Sparta has blown away the team in its own stadium

NOS Football•today, 8:39 PM

View the summary of Vitesse – Sparta Rotterdam

It was yet another ‘last straw’ for Vitesse and for the umpteenth time the Arnhem club failed to win. While the club’s supporters hardly thought about enforcement anymore, the team itself no longer seemed to believe in it on Tuesday evening. A heavy defeat followed at home against Sparta: 1-4.

With three points, Edward Sturing’s team could have made rival Excelsior, number 16 in the Premier League, nervous. Then Vitesse would have come within two points of the place that entitles them to play-offs for relegation. But it didn’t come to that.

Within seven minutes, Sparta showed what is so lacking in Arnhem this season. Spartan Koki Saito swung a cross into the penalty area. Vitesse could not get the ball away. Vitesse defender Carlens Arcus then shot the ball straight into the feet of Shunsuke Mito, who blasted the ball hard behind goalkeeper Eloy Room.

View the responses from Edward Sturing and Eloy Room here:

The same keeper was able to take a ball out of the net again ten minutes later after Pelle Clement made the 0-2 without being allowed to stand in his way. Saito managed to repeat Clement’s trick again just before half time and the match was decided within half.

The Vitesse supporters then started to cynically sing ‘We are going into Europe’. That seemed to help the team a bit, because the 1-3 came before the break: Kacper Kozlowski headed hard from a corner kick.

Then captain Marco van Ginkel should have made it 2-3, but Sparta goalkeeper Nick Olij turned his bet on the line.

It turned out to be just an upswing. Sparta then blew away the home team in the Gelredome stadium with even one step less. From a free kick it was Mike Eerdhuijzen who headed the 1-4 into the net.

Sparta made it very easy on three important points, because the play-offs for European football are still very realistic when this season ends in six games.

Vitesse was spared the 1-5. Referee Edwin van de Graaf wanted to reward Verschueren with a penalty after his cross was stopped by an arm from Nicolas Isimat-Mirin, but the VAR found that the defender used his supporting arm. After viewing the images, the penalty was not awarded.

But that did not cause joy in the stands in Arnhem, because the concerns are great. With five points behind Excelsior, Premier League football in the Gelderland capital is very far away next year.