Herenveen took a 3:2 victory over Volos NFC in a Club Friendlies encounter on Friday, 1 August. The Dutch side controlled possession at 62 per cent, but Volos never got going as a real threat. The result extends Herenveen's run of mixed friendlies — they had drawn 4:4 with Oostende Leuven and beaten Club Brugge 3:2 before this one.
The opening goal came at the 18-minute mark, and Herenveen built on that advantage. A second goal at 34 minutes put them in command before Volos pulled one back. The visitors had a yellow card at 25 minutes, while Herenveen picked up their booking at 52. By then the hosts were already playing the second half a man up in spirit, even if the score didn't yet reflect it.
Goal minutes: 18', 34', 64', 70', 86'
The third goal at 64 minutes and the fourth at 70 minutes gave Herenveen breathing room. Volos responded at 86 minutes to make it interesting, but the hosts had the game won inside the final quarter. Five goals, two yellow cards, and a final whistle that left the visitors with nothing to show for their late surge.
Statistically, Herenveen dominated. They registered 70 attacks to Volos's 39, and took three corners compared to the visitors' nine. Volos won more free kicks — 17 to 7 — but that is often just noise. Possession told the real story: 62 per cent versus 38 per cent. Many shots with one goal means chances went begging, and Volos found no answer to Herenveen's structure.
For Herenveen, this is another friendly under their belt. They sit somewhere between consistency and chaos in their recent friendlies — seven goals against De Graafschap, two conceded against Utrecht. The clean-sheet run came to an end again, but they got over the line here. Volos, meanwhile, showed fragments of fight but never looked like taking anything from the match.