FC Utrecht go to the second-round of the TOTO KNVB Cup at the expense of MVV Maastricht. Head coach Dick Advocaat’s team were too strong for the Limburgers. The two strikers, Cyriel Dessers and Nick Venema took care of the goals.

Everyone forward. So that meant ten players for that moment. It was the third minute of the additional time and MVV Maastricht were allowed a corner. Goalkeeper Luuk Koopmans also advanced towards the Utrecht penalty area, hoping to score the equaliser for the Limburgers, who were also left with ten players on the pitch just like the Utrechters;  Lukas Görtler and Joeri Schroijen had already been shown a red card. And the ball? The FC from the Domstad managed to get it away. Nick Venema, the substitute, was very eager. He got the ball, took to his heels and went straight for the deserted goal. In the final strokes of the game he decided the final score 2-0. FC Utrecht stay in the Cup , MVV are eliminated.

Supreme state of alert
It won’t happen automatically. The Keuken Kampioen Divisie-squad MVV were determined and only wanted one thing: pull off a stunt in Stadium Galgenwaard. That meant that the Utrechters needed to maintain a supreme state of alert. Head coach and birthday-boy Dick Advocaat’s team managed to keep the door shut, but struggled to find good opportunities in the first half.

Dessers breaks the spell
It was from the penalty spot that the Domstad players broke the spell after an hour. Striker Gyrano Kerk was brought down and referee Martin van den Kerkhof determinedly pointed at the penalty spot. The striker took the ball, put it on the spot, waited a moment for the referee’s whistle and then fired the ball into the corner: 1-0.

Flowers
Before the kick-off there were flowers for Dick Advocaat. The head-coach was given the bouquet to celebrate his 71st birthday. After the match Mark van der Maarel was paid tribute to. The Utrecht captain played his 250th official game for FC Utrecht against star clad MVV; an impressive milestone.

Draw on Saturday
The draw for the second-round of the TOTO KNVB Cup is on Saturday around 23:00 hrs and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports.

Sunday: Eredivisie football
FC Utrecht’s next assignment is the away match against FC Groningen. Kick-off in the Hitachi Capital Mobility Stadium on Sunday is at 14:30 hrs.

FC Utrecht - MVV Maastricht 2-0 (0-0)
61. Cyriel Dessers (strafschop) 1-0
90+4. Nick Venema 2-0

Yellow card: Mark van der Maarel, Nicolas Gavory (FC Utrecht), Ricardo Ippel, Shermaine Martina and Hawbir Moustafa (MVV Maastricht).

Red cards: 82. Lukas Görtler (FC Utrecht), 84. Joeri Schroijen (MVV Maastricht).

Attendance: 16,206.

Referee: Martin van den Kerkhof.

Line-up FC Utrecht:
David Jensen; Sean Klaiber, Emil Bergström, Timo Letschert, Mark van der Maarel (70. Nick Venema); Nicolas Gavory, Joris van Overeem, Simon Gustafson (73. Lukas Görtler); Gyrano Kerk, Cyriel Dessers, Leon Guwara.

Line-up MVV Maastricht:
Luuk Koopmans; Hawbir Moustafa (79. Tuur Houben), Shermar Martina (85. Jerome Deom), Luc Mares, Maxime Gunst; Ricardo Ippel (88. Dimitri Lavalee), Pieter Nys, Shermaine Martina; Joeri Schroijen, Asumah Abubakar, Anthony van den Hurk.