FC Utrecht’s total score of this season was increased today (Sunday) by three points. Trainer/coach Erik ten Hag’s team was in control over Excelsior in Stadium Galgenwaard, who lost an away match for the first time this year.

A goal that can be listed in the Annual Review straight away. Yassin Ayoub scores the goal. The second half is up and running for ten minutes when the FC Utrecht midfielder gets hold of the ball, assesses the situation and decides to shoot at the target. Look and behold. A hard,and placed shot. Beyond the reach of keeper Ogmundur Kristinsson, just on the good side of the post and just under the bar. In the corner of the goal. Fantastic. And: 2-0!

Fast 1-0 score
If Ayoub’s goal offers the Utrecht players some breathing space in the match against Excelsior, it is Cyriel Dessers who breaks the ice earlier in the afternoon. The Belgian manages to accomplish this in close co-operation with Gyrano Kerk. Kerk takes the ball from Jurgen Mattheij who is not very vigilant, then also takes in Kristinsson who has left his goalline too far and offers an off-the-shelf opportunity to his Belgian team mate. Dessers takes a look, sees an empty goal and does what he should do: he fires the ball into goal. Within ten minutes the score is 1-0.

Janssen decides the match
Captain Willem Janssen is the one who deals the final blow to the players from Kralingen. The captain does that halfway through the second half. From a corner the defender heads the ball into the near corner. The Excelsior goalie from Iceland has no other option but to collect the ball from the net (3-0).

Jensen in good shape
The reason why his Danish colleague at the other side of the pitch does not have to do the same in the first 88 minutes of the game, is largely due to some great safes by David Jensen. The FC Utrecht goalie shows some feline reflexes at times that matter and thus keeps his team in place. The 3-1 scored by Zakaria El Azzouzi just before time is a setback, but fortunately not a goal against at the expense of points.

Rotterdam type of weeks
These are Rotterdam type of weeks for FC Utrecht. After today’s 3-1 victory a visit to Spangen lies ahead next weekend, where Sparta Rotterdam will be the opponent of the players from Utrecht. On Sunday 10 December (with an away match in-between against PEC-Zwolle) Feyenoord will pay a visit to Stadium Galgenwaard.

FC Utrecht - Excelsior 3-1 (1-0)
8. Cyriel Dessers 1-0
56. Yassin Ayoub 2-0
64. Willem Janssen 3-0
89. Zakaria El Azzouzi 3-1

Yellow cards: Stanley Elbers (Excelsior)

Attendace: 18,336.

Referee: Bas Nijhuis.

Line-up FC Utrecht:
David Jensen; Sean Klaiber, Mark van der Maarel, Ramon Leeuwin, Willem Janssen, Urby Emanuelson (46. Giovanni Troupée); Rico Strieder, Yassin Ayoub, Sander van de Streek; Gyrano Kerk (86. Nick Venema), Cyriel Dessers (82. Lukas Gӧrtler).

Line-up Excelsior:
Ogmundur Kristinsson; Khalid Karami, Jurgen Mattheij, Jordy de Wijs, Milan Massop (80. Jeffry Fortes); Hicham Faik, Ryan Koolwijk (84. Kevin Vermeulen), Ali Messaoud (68. Zakaria El Azzouzi); Stanley Elbers, Mike van Duinen, Luigi Bruins.