Almere II hosted HFC in the third round of the Tweede Divisie on Saturday evening, but the visitors took all three points with a 2-1 win. The match opened with Almere II taking the lead through Q. van Beekveld in the 34th minute, but HFC turned the game around after the break. D. Ladan scored twice for the away side, first to equalise in the 52nd minute before completing his brace seven minutes later.
By then the game had settled into a rhythm neither side could quite control. Almere II pressed forward with intent, registering 110 attacks compared to HFC's 106, but efficiency eluded them. The hosts had four shots on target but could only convert one, while HFC managed six on target and found the net twice. To be fair, both sides shared possession evenly at 50-50, but the shots told a different story.
The yellow cards came as the match tightened. M. Ploem went off early in the second half at the 45th minute, followed by M. Smit and S. Teunissen as tensions rose. HFC's D. Ladan was substituted in the 82nd minute for F. Gemmel after his double strike, while Almere II brought on C. Bos and X. Dors earlier in the second half. The match ended with a late substitution for HFC, L. Lenssen coming on in stoppage time.
Almere II's recent form offers some context. They had beaten Reinsburgse Boys 4-0 and Excelsior Maaslijs 1-0 before that, but the last two league outings have gone poorly—losses to HHC and now HFC. The hosts sit 13th in the table with three points from three games, one win and two defeats. They have been weighing up their options after back-to-back losses.
HFC occupy the same position in 14th place, also on three points from three matches. Their previous league result was a 1-2 defeat away at Barendrecht, making this victory all the more significant. The away side's clean-sheet run came to an end in their last outing, but they threw bodies in the way here and held firm after going ahead. The result keeps them level on points with Almere II, though goal difference remains to be seen.