Unseen scenes on Friday evening in the Kitchen Champion Division, the Dutch second division, where three teams were able to secure promotion to the Eredivisie. League leader Willem II only needed a 1-1 draw against Dordrecht to return to the Dutch top flight after an absence of two years, but Roda JC was also able to secure promotion. However, the stadium speaker was wrong twice and made everyone in the Parkstad Limburg Stadium believe that Roda JC had been promoted. Unjustified indeed.
Roda first had to beat SC Cambuur at home and at the same time count on a defeat of first pursuer Groningen at low-flyer Telstar. Promotion seemed to be a long time coming, as Roda won 2-0 after goals from Vaclav Sejk (65.) and Sami Ouaissa (75.) and saw Telstar score after a quick goal from Zakaria. Eddahchouri (1.) was heading for a narrow 1-0 victory.
READ ALSO. Burnt in his own country, but still the ‘King of Tilburg’: Peter Maes forces promotion with Willem II while Roda JC cheers too early
The certainty that Groningen would not score again was so great that the Roda supporters started storming the field before the final whistle had been heard in Velsen-Zuid. And then, of course, the impossible happened. With the courage of desperation, Groningen player Tika de Jonge dropped the ball again, where Thom van Bergen headed the ultimate equalizer into the net in the 95th minute. The Roda supporters were in sackcloth and ashes.
But it would be doubly bad for Roda JC, because the stadium speaker, when everyone was already on the field, announced that Telstar had scored again and that the promotion had now really been won. Once again a popular festival broke out in Kerkrade, which again only lasted a few minutes. The announcer said that Telstar’s new goal had been disallowed and that the score had therefore simply remained 1-1.
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State of affairs in the Kitchen Champion Division: Willem II and Peter Maes can become champions on the final day of the competition with a victory at home against Telstar. However, first pursuer Roda only has one point less and a draw against… Groningen is enough. In a direct match at home, the Northern Dutch can assure themselves of promotion with a win, otherwise they will have to go through the play-offs.
