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FC Twente players cheer after the 2-1 win during the Dutch Eredivisie match between PEC Zwolle and FC Twente at the MAC3Park stadium on May 19, 2024 in Zwolle, Netherlands. - Credit: Vincent Jannink /ANP - License: All Rights Reserved
FC Twente kept their cool on the last day of the Eredivisie season, beating a game PEC Zwolle 2-1 to secure third place in the league table, which gives them a chance to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season. Their rivals for the third spot, AZ Alkmaar, drew 3-3 with FC Utrecht despite leading 3-0 at halftime.
Before the match, Twente was two points ahead of AZ, with one goal the difference in goal difference. It was a dramatic day in the race for the third spot, with plenty of twists and turns.
Both sides faced teams with their own motivations faced teams with their own motivations for winning. FC Utrecht wanted to finish as high as possible to ensure their playoff match for European football was at home. PEC Zwolle wanted to give club legend Bram van Polen the best possible send-off, who was playing his last game for the club he had played for 17 years.
AZ struck first in the battle for third place, breaking the deadlock after 15 minutes. Vangelis Pavlidis worked very hard to block the clearance from the Utrecht defender, ensuring that it bounced straight to Mees de Wit, who calmly stroked it into the far corner.
Twente’s hopes of Utrecht doing them a favor were damaged even more when the Alkmaarders made it 2-0 from the kickoff after the first goal. Utrecht lost the ball, which then came to Pavlidis, who played a perfect pass over the Utrecht defence to Ruben van Bommel. The youngster stayed calm in front of the goal, lobbing it perfectly over Vasilias Barkas.
Twente continued to push for the goal that they now desperately needed and should have gotten it after 25 minutes. Gijs Smal came forward from full-back and pulled the ball back to Sem Steijn in the box, but the midfielder hit the post with his attempt.
The Pavlidis show continued in Alkmaar as AZ made it 3-0. This time, Pavlidis scored the goal after playing a pass to Yukinari Sugawara and then continuing his run to flying head the ball into the far corner. It put the Greek on top of the top scorer list in the Eredivisie this season.
Maarten Martens side giften Utrecht a goal in the second half. Centre-back Riechedly Bazoer did not look before attempting to pass the ball back to goalkeeper Maty Ryan and, therefore, did not see Utrecht midfielder Jens Toornstra standing there. Toornstra played the ball to Othman Boussaid, who scored.
Twente’s opponents were not making it easy for the Tukkers either, and they were inches away from taking the lead. Odysseus Velanas played the ball across the goal after a counterattack, which just about evaded striker Lennart Thy.
Joseph Oosting’s side scored a huge goal in the 59th minute. Substitute Naci Unuvar showed great determination to keep possession of the ball before playing it into the path of Daan Rots, who rolled it into the far corner.
The second half did not go according to plan for the Alkmaarders, as they were handed another blow. Midfielder Dani de Wit received a straight red card for a dangerous tackle in his last match for the club.
However, PEC did not let their heads drop after conceding and equalized shortly after. A free kick was headed to the far post, where Anselmo Garcia MacNulty was unmarked and knocked it home from close range.
The goals kept coming, as FC Utrecht got another goal back to reduce the deficit to one goal. Sam Lammers headed in Souffian El Karouani’s cross.
In the end, a fantastic minute for Twente secured the final league positions. First, FC Utrecht scored again to complete the comeback. A counterattack was finished off by Victor Jensen after being played through by Jeppe Okkels. And then, while the Tukkers fans celebrated the news of Utrecht’s equalizer, their team gave them more reason to celebrate by taking the lead.
Rots played the ball deep to full-back Youri Regeer, who was taken down by Davy van den Berg for a penalty. Experienced striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel took the pen and scored, sending the Twente fans to wild celebrations.
It is the first time that Twente has finished in a Champions League spot in over ten years. AZ Alkmaar will play in the Europa League group stage.
