Antibarbari 1 won a hard-fought victory in a home match against Oliveo from Pijnacker on Sunday afternoon. After less than an hour of play in a match with few chances, the scoreboard at the ‘Het Toepad’ complex showed an equal score. It looked as if this would also be the end result, but in the final phase Het vlaggenschip (Antibarbari’s first team) managed to bring the score up to 3-2 and achieved an amazing victory. Because of these three points Antibarbari will climb to fourth place in the third class C.
Before the match there was only a difference of three points on the league table between number six Antibarbari and number two Oliveo (23 to 20). It was therefore very important for Hans Harmans’ team to achieve a good result against the Pijnackers.
During the first part of the match it became apparent to the few dozen spectators that the difference between the two teams was not only small on the league table but also on the field. Both teams made a cautious start on a field that was difficult to play on and it was a matter of waiting for the first real chance.
This chance came for the visitors, but the ball was removed from the line. Antibarbari didn’t come up with anything more than a harmless long range shot. Little by little Oliveo gained the upper hand, which resulted in 0-1 after half an hour. Number three Dewi van Wichen, bearing a slight resemblance to Johan Cruijff with his long, straight hair and slight build, curled a free kick into the right-hand corner. This goal appeared to be a wake-up call for the Antibarbari team: the home team became stronger. The opponent’s goalkeeper also gave them a helping hand. He shot the ball at the feet of the striker Bart Sinnige who then made a Bergkamp-style shot over the head of the goalkeeper into the far corner: 1-1. Antibarbari even appeared to take the lead at this point, but the above-mentioned goalkeeper just managed to head an amazing volley from the corner out of the goal.
Home team ecstatic
During the first few minutes after half-time the home team were the better players, quickly resulting in a score of 2-1. Top scorer and number 10 Masud Hooi (nickname ‘Balotelli’) was wrestled to the ground and allowed to shoot from eleven metres: he made a controlled inside shot. For a moment Antibarbari seemed to take possession of the match, but that appeared to be an illusion. Oliveo increased the pressure, which directly resulted in chances. The unstoppable 2-2 was headed in from a corner. The equalizer inspired hope in the visitors, but they didn’t come up with anything more than a few long range shots. On the other hand, Antibarbari was no longer particularly threatening either, so it appeared that both teams would have to be satisfied with a draw. Until the moment that Sjoerd de Wit popped up and made the home team ecstatically happy. The Peruvian with Dutch roots towered above everyone and with the assistance of a free kick from Hooi headed in the fantastic and decisive 3-2.
Afterwards, match winner Sjoerd de Winter (20, EUR-student Economics and Business Economics, nickname ‘Peru’) was glad that he had been able to score the winning goal. ‘’When I came in I had not expected that we would still win. I had only been playing for a few minutes and then I scored. It’s great that we earned three points through this.’’ De Winter, son of Dutch parents, lived and played football for most of his life in Peru. Even so, he learned the most about football in the Netherlands. ‘’Football is a far more tactical game here, much cleverer than in Peru. That’s also the reason why the Netherlands does so well at the World Championships’’, thinks Peru.
’It should have been a draw’
Coach Hans Harmans, who only started with the team this year, tries to put the victory into perspective: ‘’It should have been a draw. We’ll now get too much, and last time against NOC Kralingen (2-0 loss) we got too little.’’ In spite of a weak start to the season ‘Hansie Hansie’ is working well with his team. ‘’At the beginning I didn’t know where to select them. The foreigners (read: foreign students) turn up and you wonder if they are up to it or not. That’s nice, but also difficult. Besides, the boys also have other priorities, such as their studies. As a trainer you have to get used to this, and we’ve now found a good method of dealing with it. We have to continue on this road and try to achieve promotion in the playoffs’’, said Harmans.
