Rotterdam was put on display by Oranje-Rood on Sunday. In the top match in Eindhoven it was no less than 6-3 for the home team. At halftime it was already 4-1 for the hosts, who used their chances very effectively. For Rotterdam it was the third loss in a row after previous defeats against Kampong and Pinoké.
It was illustrative of the failed afternoon. Rotterdam icon Jeroen Hertzberger who crashed at the last corner of the match in the final minute, when it all no longer mattered. Shortly afterwards, his teammates walked to the dugout with sour faces. The realization dawned on them: they had been hit hard.
Actually, they could both use a boost after the previous weekend. Because not only Rotterdam lost to Pinoké, that also applied to Oranje-Rood. Not because they played so poorly, but because they just fell short. Just not sharp enough to defend at moments that really mattered. And on the other side they were not effective enough to win a point – or more.
Orange-Red was absolutely effective in the autumnal conditions. The first chance of the match immediately resulted in a goal. Jamie van Aart delivered the ball to Thibeau Stockbroekx, who tipped in from close range after six minutes. This immediately forgot the weak way in which OR started the match. Max Kuijpers attempted to enter the Guinness Book of Records by playing the ball over the sideline after five seconds. It was only the second ball contact of the match.
Rotterdam was certainly not inferior to the Oranje-Rood in the first quarter. Robin Rösch’s formation, still without Tjep Hoedemakers and Harry Martin, had already scored three corners when the young Timme van der Heijden scored the equalizer. Between a few OR defenders, the attacker was able to tap in without any problems.
The umbrellas danced in the air
The Oranje-Rood’s production faltered against Pinoké, but in the previous matches the Brabanders were on good terms. Prior to this weekend they were the most effective team in the competition and in quarter two they showed that they are keen to maintain that status. After about twenty minutes it was Stockbroekx who scored again, this time after a beautiful solo that the Belgian started just after the halfway line. The striker cut through the entire field, scored a nice solo in front of the Rotterdam goal and gave OR the lead again. Chance two also resulted in a goal.
And that also applied to the third chance, a corner this time. Gijs van Merriënboer – who missed twice in a promising position in the final phase against Pinoké – dragged it right into the corner. The umbrellas danced in the air and the grizzled Liberté blasted from the speakers for the third time. It made Jeroen Hertzberger’s two missed chances at 2-2 even more sensitive. The striker needs four more goals to break the all-time goals record in the Premier League.
Rotterdam completely passed by
But Sunday was not the day of ‘Hertz’ and certainly not of the Rotterdam defense, which was overrun on all sides. Well, from Stockbroekx and also from his buddy in the vanguard, Sam Lane. The New Zealander scored the score 4-1 shortly before half time, almost bizarrely, from OR’s fourth shot chance in the match. Rotterdam already put their heads together on the field and then undoubtedly consulted themselves in the dressing room. What was left of the close-knit collective that won the first four matches of the season?
Quite little, as it turned out at the beginning of the second half. Because the Oranje-Rood – which had also missed a few chances – continued to score happily. Lane made it 5-1 within two minutes after the break, after a beautiful solo by Max Kuijpers. Shortly afterwards, Rotterdam goalie Derk Meijer had to collect again, again from a corner by Van Merriënboer. There was no stopping Rotterdam. The visitors were trumped in their own circle, as if they were not a top team but a team from the tail of the big league.
In the last quarter Hertzberger scored 6-2 and 6-3. He could barely cheer about it and that made perfect sense. It all made little difference to the Orange-Red. They could even afford to let reserve goalie Nieki Verbeek keep the last three minutes. It made the terrible afternoon extra painful for Rotterdam, which left with its tail between its legs.
by Hockey.nl
