After a week of soul-searching and heavy frustration following their surprising, difficult opening-day defeat to Telstar, NEC Nijmegen responded with exactly the kind of statement that clubs hope will define their season. The false start had planted a seed of worry, not just among the fans but also within the squad itself. Doubt creeps in quickly when a team does not get what it deserves, and the opening fixture had been one of those games where all the build-up and planning collapsed in a single unhappy afternoon. So when Dick Schreuder’s side travelled to Willem II for the second round of the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie, they knew that a response was demanded. Not just a good performance, but a convincing one. They delivered with a magnificent 1-4 victory in North Brabant, a result that felt like an emphatic exhale after a spell of discomforted anticipation. From the invisible weight of early-season criticism to the joyful release of a composed, dominant second-half display, this was NEC showing their character, their talent, and their refusal to let one bad afternoon define their entire campaign. It was not merely about the three points, it was about reclaiming their identity and letting the rest of the league know that what happened against Telstar was an anomaly, an ugly wart on the skin of a team that still has plenty of ambition.
In the opening stages, there was no immediate indication of what the afternoon would eventually become. The contest began in an anxious and hesitant way, as is often the case with pressure-building fixtures when both sides are desperate to avoid another week of difficult questions. Willem II, perhaps boosted by the comfort of their own stadium and a response to their own opening-round horror show, started with enough energy to unsettle NEC right away. The first real warning came after only five minutes, when Nathan Tjoe-A-On teased everyone in the ground with a teasing forward run that set the Tilburg side’s heart racing. Uriël van Aalst was the man taking charge of the chance, but the finish never came. NEC were not afraid to hold the ball, they tried to pass the life back into their game, but they could not unlock the defensive block that stood bravely across their path. The first shot in anger had to wait shamingly long until the 35th minute, when Adam Tahaui pulled the trigger and fired directly at goalkeeper Karst de Leeuw, a clear sign that would not move easily. At the other end, Jaden Slory tested Robin Crettaz, and the goalkeeper had to be sharp to keep the contest level. There was plenty of football in the match but little in terms of pure finishing, and the #empty tension around the ground grew heavier as half-time approached. Everyone in the stadium knew that a goal, even an ugly one, might transform the afternoon, but neither side seemed fully prepared to offer the spark that would bring it to life. In the second minute of stoppage time, though, just as everybody started to mentally prepare for the winter break, the match burst open with a moment that would carry NEC into self-expression.
Right on the stroke of the interval, after a period where possession had rotated in an endless cycle around the halfway line, a cross from a dead-ball movement captured the defenders out like theatre. Tahaui was there at the back post, and although the defenders clamoured about a push, it was a decisive, brave header that gave the keeper no chance. More than the goal itself, what mattered was the emotional lift it gave NEC. The Willem II players protested because they had with the referee, arguing that this debutant had used his hands or his body to create space, but the video assistant was clear that the goal would stand. In that moment, everything changed. It was not only a score line; it was the sudden release of the pressure valve for the visitors. Those seconds of celebration were probably felt a little more intensely because the opening minutes had been so difficult, and all the suppressed nervousness from the Telstar defeat came rushing out in the faces of the players. After so much control without reward, the discipline they had maintained suddenly started to be rewarded. At half-time, the conversation would have been something different for the coaches. For Willem II, they could only think about what might have been. For NEC, they knew now they had only to stay structured and the rest, their moment would come.
Whatever words the coach said in the dressing room, they worked perfectly from the very first minute of the second half. NEC came out not just determined but with real swagger, wanting to remove all the memories of the opening round and bury any possibility of a comeback. Bryan Linssen almost managed a second instantly, risking at the near post with a final that he could not direct low enough, and he watched it place himself over the bar. The home team had a brief opportunity in response through Slory, whose fierce effort had to be turned behind by Darko NejašFilip, but after that brief stone of the hearts, NEC immediately rose again. The second goal came shortly afterwards, and it came in the archetypal way, from an ordinary moment becoming a disaster for the other team. An unlucky in the Willem II defence gave the ball to Tjaronn Chery, standing in the perfect position and with the calmness of time to think. Chery, the seasoned veteran, did not hesitate; he evaded goalkeeper De Leeuw and calmly passed the ball into the empty net. That was the signature of the whole afternoon. It was not about individual brilliance at that point, it was about discipline, taking advantage of mistakes, and being clinical enough to turn dreams to the result. The moment that goal went in, it was clear that Willem II’s resistance had truly broken, and the air drained out of the home crowd.
From that point on, the game became about NEC showing their superiority and enjoying their influence. The goal of the European extinction arrived in the 65th minute through Linssen, who was rewarded by being at the same scene of a handball that fell to his feet after a scramble in the guest box. He could have been caught off, but with one determined smash through the ball into the net, he turned any lingering doubts into an mountain impossible to climb. But NEC had not yet finished, and the final statement came only two minutes later, when a Chery assist delivered the ball onto Volontà the area. The substitute, Kaj Sierhuis, was not thinking about control, he was not thinking about settling and touching it beautifully. What it did was a technically perfect volley, in one movement, and the ball crashed into the net before the Turpin goalkeeper could react. That was the sort of goal, that makes the weekend special for any fan; the kind that is replayed for a long time, not only because it is beautiful but because it signifies the absolute coercion of the team. In just a matter of minutes, a very serious contest had become a demonstration of strength that had been expected of NEC but had not yet appeared in the season. They had finally like the quality in its squad to the surface, and the confidence flowed from one player to another. The match was in a shelf of silence and not only from the home, but almost from the universe, giving the impression that no one could stop what they were building.
The late goal came from a player who would see his moment in the spotlight of the Eredivisie debut with the familiar silence, as substitute Thomas Verheydt managed to make his mark with his non-theme, scored a goal that brought his personal story into the timeline. Verheydt, who had spent so many years in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, marked his Eredivisie debut and with a title that will never forget. Although the goal meant nothing for the overall outcome, for him it was a special moment of hard work and an amazing reward. The home side then saw another chance when Acht raced shot collided with the post, but still, the stadium full of, the both teams already knew the contest had set. For NEC, this was the first league triumph of the season, and it was hard to imagine a more perfect way to wipe away the pain of that unlucky opening. They could travel home with the feeling that the team knows the turner’s system, and that in the face of the early difficulty they had the mentally strong to break through it. For Willem II, the result was no longer just a disappointment: it was a pattern of darkness. Two heavy defeats back to back have left them with a great pressure in the coming weeks. To make things worse, they were not just beaten by a stronger opponent; they were beaten in a way that exposed their vulnerability, their lack of resilience, and their inability to keep clean mentally after the half-time. Future matches will be heavier now, and the league will not wait for anyone.
In the broader, the result is not just a victory for the table count but an early sign of the personality definition. This was a team that had been tested in the very first week and had responded with character, discipline, and an injection of skill that should give their fans genuine confidence. In the second part, the display was as professional as it was entertaining, built on a mixture of experience, through Chery’s composure and Linssen’s persistence, and the energy of youth, represented by the increasingly dangerous Tahoe and the elegant Sierhuis. Although the first half had been difficult, when the first goal came, the team in the red and white pulled all their resources together and exploded like a machine in full motion. The 1-4 victory will register with deserved style in midfield of both the team and the opponents. It was a message that amar tastes 4 goals after a false first start. For Willem II, a long season is coming, and hope is alive for now, but with two lansac what no longer finds an excuse. For NEC, the message was simple: they are no longer talking about the mistake in the old cup. They are back, they are strong, and they intend to continue climbing that mountain full of confidence and bright in the game that already taste like a victory before all.