Sierhuis saves a point for Fortuna, Sparta pushes Vitesse deeper into worries

2 apr 2024 om 20:40 Update: 1 uur geleden

Kaj Sierhuis gave Fortuna Sittard a point in the home match against NEC on Tuesday evening. The striker equalized fifteen minutes before the end: 1-1. Vitesse lost 1-4 against Sparta earlier in the evening.

Sierhuis appeared fifteen minutes before the end for NEC goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen. The striker rounded the goalkeeper and pushed the ball into an empty goal. It was a deserved equalizer for the home team.

NEC had taken the lead after the break against the odds through Rober González. That happened after Fortuna had already ruined countless opportunities. Cillessen had several cat-like reflexes on shots from Sierhuis and Iñigo Córdoba, among others.

Partly thanks to Cillessen, the score remained 1-1 in Sittard. The goalkeeper also played a starring role on behalf of NEC on Saturday, by saving a penalty from Luuk de Jong in the victory against PSV (3-1).

After the draw, NEC is in sixth place in the Eredivisie after 28 matches, although number five Ajax can walk away later this week. Fortuna occupies tenth place thanks to the division of points.

Foto: Pro Shots

Sparta leaves little of Vitesse intact

Sparta already ran away from the home team in the GelreDome Stadium in the first half. Shunsuke Mito scored the 0-1 after seven minutes and Pelle Clement scored the second Rotterdam goal after a nice dribble in the nineteenth minute. Koki Saito made it 0-3 after 43 minutes.

Vitesse did something back through Kacper Kozlowski (header from a corner) just before half time, but scored the fourth goal after the break. Mike Eerdhuijzen headed home. Sparta scored four goals in two consecutive matches for the second time in club history: they achieved this on Saturday against Fortuna Sittard (4-0).

The retirement of Tobias Lauritsen was a blemish on the victory for Sparta. The Norwegian striker had to stop the fight in the 25th minute, after an aerial duel with Ramon Hendriks.

For number seventeen Vitesse, enforcement in the Eredivisie is becoming increasingly out of sight. The gap to number sixteen Excelsior is still five points with six matches to go. The Arnhem team’s next match is the derby against NEC.

Thanks to the victory, Sparta temporarily rises to eighth place in the Eredivisie. Number nine FC Utrecht can bounce back over the Rotterdam team on Wednesday with a home win over PEC Zwolle.