Challenge

Xenon Stadium
Spectators: 40 (Terracing: 31, Seating: 9, VIP seats: 0) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Gijsbert ter Kruimer took the kick off in the first half of the match. Mattias Olofsson made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Gustaaf Groeneveldt in the 4th minute of play. In the 6th minute, Villiam Johnsson hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Gijsbert ter Kruimer received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 8th minute. Mattias Olofsson tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. After a defensive mix-up in StraX Xenon FC's zone, Wim Wilmes stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Mattias Olofsson came out of the goal and Wim Wilmes tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. 11 minutes into the match, Netherlands's goalkeeper Arnout Reekers had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Jakob Palmkvist. Wim Wilmes sent away a hard shot on goal in the 13th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. In the 16th minute, Gijsbert ter Kruimer left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The Netherlands fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 0-1. After 31 minutes, Kees Mooiweer mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Netherlands and the StraX Xenon FC players grew even worse after the yellow card. Arnout Reekers took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Torbjörn Brummer, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Pelle Smedfeldt fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 34th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Arnout Reekers having to interfere. Netherlands's Arnout Reekers proved his good apprehension of play when he, in the 38th minute of the match, managed to save Netherlands from getting a goal against them. Arnout Reekers showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Tomas Asserlindh in the 41st minute of the match. After 43 minutes of play, the referee blew the whistle. It was a penalty for StraX Xenon FC! In the 45th minute there was a penalty for Netherlands. Gijsbert ter Kruimer stepped forward and shot the ball to the right of a diving Mattias Olofsson. 0-2. Even after changing tactics the home team jogged off the field with a 0-2 deficit. They would have to work harder if they wanted to turn things around in the second half.

The wind increased when Torbjörn Brummer made the kick off in the second half. Gustaaf Groeneveldt came free with the goalkeeper in the 55th minute of the match, and shot straight on target. The shot was a little too simple and Mattias Olofsson could save by the left post. Gijsbert ter Kruimer sent away a hard shot on goal in the 59th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Mattias Olofsson was in the perfect position, and the defense had done a good job marking him, but Wim Wilmes showcased his skills and made a perfect shot to score 0-3 in the 63 minute of play. Arnout Reekers showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Tomas Asserlindh, who was totally free with the ball in the 66th minute. An unexpectedly hard shot by Jakob Palmkvist in the 68th minute of play forced Netherlands's goalkeeper Arnout Reekers to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Netherlands's Arnout Reekers played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Torbjörn Brummer in the 70th minute of play. After a defensive mix-up in StraX Xenon FC's zone, Wim Wilmes stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Mattias Olofsson came out of the goal and Wim Wilmes tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. If Gijsbert ter Kruimer had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 74th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Rikard Arhenius hit a great freekick 77 minutes into the match. 81 minutes into the match, StraX Xenon FC's goal looked a bit too open when Gijsbert ter Kruimer came free, but Mattias Olofsson reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. In the 81st minute, Gijsbert ter Kruimer left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The Netherlands fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 0-4. The StraX Xenon FC fans' excitement grew in the 84th match minute when StraX Xenon FC's Torbjörn Brummer looked to have a clear shot with the ball near the goal. The shot wasn't hard, but the ball still rolled over the goal line to make it 1-4 before the goalkeeper had a chance to intervene. Mattias Olofsson made a fantastic save in the 92nd minute, when Gustaaf Groeneveldt sent off a good shot on target. When Gijsbert ter Kruimer came up free with the goalie in the 93rd minute, the Netherlands fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Gijsbert ter Kruimer couldn't finish the play. When the final whistle was heard the away supporters stood up and showed their joy. Netherlands had managed to secure a win in what was a close match throughout.