DVS claimed a 2-1 victory over ATC 65 in the first preliminary round of the KNVB Cup on Tuesday evening. The away side saw out the match despite being reduced to ten men in the final quarter. It was a result that extended their struggles rather than ending them, though the points matter little in cup football.
T. Van de Berg gave the hosts the lead in the thirty-fifth minute, but DVS responded quickly. Vastenrink equalised just five minutes later, and Middelkamp turned the tie around with the second goal in the sixty-fourth minute. The visitors found a way back into it after falling behind.
The game shifted dramatically in the eighty-seventh minute when a DVS player was shown a red card. By then the result was already decided, but the dismissal added a note of drama to an otherwise straightforward evening. The hosts saw it out with ten men against ten.
DVS arrive in this fixture having won only once in their last five competitive matches. They drew 2-2 with Regenvogels Katwijk in May and have since lost three games, including a 3-0 defeat to Fennendal earlier this month. To be fair, cup football has its own rules, and the table goes out of the window in these games.
The away side now have a second-round tie to look forward to, though their recent form suggests they will need to find something they have not shown in weeks. ATC 65 go home with a loss but can be proud of how they held their shape after going behind.