Willem II return to the Eredivisie after penalty hero Didillon-Hödl settles play-off drama against FC Volendam
Willem II have secured their return to the Eredivisie via a penalty shootout. In the promotion/relegation play-off final, the third-placed side from the Eerste Divisie edged out FC Volendam. Goalkeeper Thomas Didillon-Hödl was the undisputed hero: he saved Nordin Bukala's effort and then coolly converted the decisive penalty himself.
Dramatic turnaround after home defeat
A year after a painful surprise elimination by Telstar in those same play-offs, Willem II are once again an Eredivisie club. The Tilburg side made a far from ideal start to the two-legged final: they lost the home fixture 2-1, handing FC Volendam an excellent platform heading into the return leg. Yet Willem II managed to overturn that deficit completely. In Volendam they won 1-2, forcing extra time and ultimately a penalty shootout to separate the sides.
Early blow for Volendam on home soil
The return leg in the North Holland town of Volendam began disastrously for the hosts. As early as the eighth minute, Willem II struck from a corner routine: Mounir El Allouchi flicked the ball on to Siegert Baartmans, who tapped in from close range to make it 0-1. Less than ten minutes later, the Tilburg side doubled their lead in remarkable circumstances. Gibson Yah lost possession to Finn Stam and immediately clutched his right eye after Stam caught him with his hand. Stam paid no attention and drilled a firm finish into the bottom corner: 0-2. Referee Sander van der Eijk saw no foul and VAR did not intervene either, though Yah did have to be substituted a few minutes later.
Volendam fight back, but Willem II hold firm
After half an hour, Volendam began to look increasingly dangerous, with Juninho Bacuna — a World Cup participant with Curaçao — testing the keeper with a shot. Just before the break, Yannick Leliendal pulled one back to make it 1-2. After the interval, Volendam threw more weight forward. The 37-year-old Robert Mühren, playing what would prove to be his final minutes as a professional, came on alongside the 35-year-old Henk Veerman up front. Brandley Kuwas, also a World Cup representative with Curaçao, entered the fray to replace the injured crowd favourite Bilal Ould-Chikh. Mühren hit the post after a delicate through ball from Veerman and appealed for a push in the back from a headed opportunity, but Van der Eijk was unmoved.
Extra time and Mühren's disallowed goal
The second half produced few clear-cut chances, making extra time inevitable. Volendam were the hungrier side throughout the additional period. Mühren appeared to have scored, but his close-range finish was ruled out following VAR intervention: Leliendal had been found to have stood on a Tilburg player's foot moments earlier. In the second period of extra time, a weary Willem II also survived sustained Volendam pressure, partly because the hosts' attacking play lacked the necessary precision in the final third.
Didillon-Hödl hands Willem II their Eredivisie ticket
In the decisive penalty shootout, Mühren put Volendam ahead with the last kick of his professional career. It then fell to the 20-year-old Nordin Bukala to pile on the pressure, but goalkeeper Thomas Didillon-Hödl saved his effort. With no other misses from either side, the French keeper was able to step up and take the all-important final penalty himself. He converted with unerring accuracy, handing Willem II the long-awaited Eredivisie ticket they had been chasing.
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Source: Via NOS (GNews)
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