FC Utrecht managed to get their eleventh victory of the season. Trainer/coach Jean-Paul de Jong’s team were too strong for Roda JC Kerkrade in the Parkstad Limburg Stadium this afternoon.

Be triumphant. An expression that says it all. It is exactly what FC Utrecht did in the sunlit south this Sunday afternoon. The team from the Domstad was victorious and scored four goals.

Utrecht’s fourth goal of the afternoon? Zakaria Labyad scored the goal. And it was a beauty! Labyad received the ball from substitute Cyriel Dessers and used the freedom given by the defenders from Kerkrade in a phenomenal way. With a gentle touch he fooled the players who were near him. It looks so simple, but is so very difficult. Labyad did it: 1-4.

Safe margin
With that action the goal scored by Jorn Vancamp from Roda JC Kerkrade (1-3) seven minutes earlier, was more or less erased. And the margin was three again. That margin had been on the board after more than sixty minutes’ play on the artificial pitch in Limburg. It was Sander van de Streek who scored 0-3 after a Mateusz Klich cross, with a beautiful sizzler in the far corner. That was more or less the decision of the match, in which FC Utrecht were far stronger than their Limburg opponents.

Tandem Klich-Van de Streek
The tandem Klich-Van de Streek had been good for a goal earlier in the afternoon. That goal was scored in less than fifteen minutes. Under the watchful eye of 143 FC Utrecht fans who had come along, Klich passed the ball to Van de Streek, who left keeper Hidde Jurjus scratching his head after a nicely lifted ball.

Strengthened position
As the Koempels are fighting for survival you would have expected a Limburg offensive at that moment. No such thing though. Except for a scrimmage before David Jensen’s goal the Utrechters were not in any difficult predicament at any time. Van der Maarel scored 0-2 with a real sizzler after less than fifteen minutes and strengthened Utrecht’s position even further.

Pays off
Though the Domstad players had not scored a goal in Kerkrade since 21 September 2012, this afternoon’s successor of that scorer – Dave Bulthuis – paid off completely. Again three points as a result. And now? De Jong’s team will now prepare for the next match. That will be on Sunday 25 February and FC Twente will be FC Utrecht’s opponent.

Roda JC Kerkrade - FC Utrecht 1-4 (0-1)
13. Sander van de Streek 0-1
57. Mark van der Maarel 0-2
63. Sander van de Streek 0-3
83. Jorn Vancamp 1-3
90. Zakaria Labyad 1-4

Yellow cards: Dani Schahin (Roda JC Kerkrade).

Attendance: 11,361.

Referee: Allard Lindhout.

Line-up Roda JC Kerkrade:
Hidde Jurjus; Henk Dijkhuizen, Patrick Banggaard Jensen, Adil Auassar, Jannes Vansteenkiste; Tsiy Ndenge, Ard van Peppen (61. Maecky Ngombo); Mikhail Rosheuvel, Simon Gustafson, Livio Milts (73. Gyliano van Velzen); Dani Schahin (74. Jorn Vancamp).

Line-up FC Utrecht:
David Jensen; Sean Klaiber, Ramon Leeuwin, Willem Janssen (61. Dario Dumic), Mark van der Maarel; Rico Strieder (38. Urby Emanuelson), Mateusz Klich, Yassin Ayoub, Sander van de Streek; Gyrano Kerk (79. Cyriel Dessers), Zakaria Labyad.