Willem II became First Division champions for the fourth time in club history on Friday evening. The team, which had already been promoted, won 3-2 against Telstar in the last round of the season. 21-year-old Ringo Meerveld scored the winning goal. Willem II finishes first with four points more than FC Groningen, which was promoted tonight.
“I had more jitters last week than today,” Willem II coach Peter Maes said beforehand. “We have the promotion, we have succeeded in our mission. But we still have something to fight for, that title in the KKD. If that is not enough motivation, I don’t know what is.”
Despite a motivated team, Willem II fell behind after half an hour of play. Jay Kruiver scored his first goal in professional football on the last match day of the season. After a good action, Cain Seedorf passed the ball, but the ball shot towards the Willem II goal via a Tilburger. Goalkeeper Joshua Smits was unable to grab the ball and Kruiver shot in the rebound. It didn’t stop there. Note that Freek Heerkens extended the lead with an own goal. Heerkens slid the ball into the goal after a cross from Thomas Oude Kotte.
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Summary Willem II – Telstar
Summary of the Kitchen Champion Division match played on Friday, May 10.
Comeback in the second half
After the break, the Brabant team had to get to work. It worked. Willem II made it 1-2 after just two minutes. Thijs Oosting curled the ball into the far corner. Willem II then managed to score twice more, but both goals were disallowed for offside.
Meanwhile, Roda was 2-0 behind on the other field, a blessing in disguise. In the event of a defeat by the Limburgers, a victory by Willem II was not necessary for the championship. It did not stop Rob Nizet, who had just come on. The left back stormed up and scored the equalizer. The team did not settle for a draw. Ringo Meerveld scored the winning goal in extra time, after which the supporters stormed onto the field.
Last game captain Heerkens
For Freek Heerkens it was his last match for the Tilburg team. The 34-year-old defender played eleven seasons, and more than 200 games, for the Tilburg club. Heerkens previously announced that he would end his career after this season.
Soccrates Images
It was not the happiest farewell match, so Heerkens scored an own goal. Luckily for the club hero, it didn’t matter in the end. The championship is in. He celebrated his second championship with the club on the shoulders of supporters. In his very first season for Willem II, Heerkens also became champion with Willem II.
2024-05-10 20:21:17
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