Telstar spilled valuable points on a visit to competitor Excelsior. A 0-2 lead was given away in the final phase and the visitors were lucky with a 2-2 final score. Excelsior is fourteenth, with 20 points. Telstar has collected four fewer points so far.
No goals in the first half in Rotterdam, despite attempts by both Excelsior and Telstar to open the scoring. The rest seemed to work wonders for the visitors, because after the break the quarter-finalists in the cup tournament quickly led the way.
Jochem Ritmeester van de Kamp scored in the 51st minute, from a cross from Tyrese Noslin. Just five minutes later, Nils Rossen doubled Telstar’s lead with a striking shot from inside the Excelsior penalty area.
A big setback for Excelsior, which lost 5-1 to leader PSV last week. The home team barely managed to make a real impact after Telstar’s goals. In the meantime, there were plenty of changes on both sides.
Suddenly Excelsior got the ghost in the final phase. Irakli Yegoian saw a long shot end up in the bottom right corner, returning hope to the supporters. The celebration was complete when Noah Naujoks headed home from close range in the 81st minute: 2-2. Ronald Koeman junior came out to make the save, but missed completely.
Telstar’s comfortable lead had disappeared like snow in the sun. It was important for the shocked away team to get at least a point, while Excelsior hunted for the full spoils. Devon Koswal headed onto the post for Telstar shortly before the end.
Ultimately, there was no winner in the Van Donge & De Roo Stadium, although Excelsior will feel like the moral winner. Telstar takes comfort in the thought that the quarter finals in the Eurojackpot KNVB Cup have been reached.
