Excelsior secured a 2:1 victory over Sparta Rotterdam on Saturday evening in the Eredivisie's fourth round of fixtures. The match at Van Donge el De Ro Stadion finished with a late drama, Nesto Groen finding the net in the 90+2nd minute to settle what had been a closely contested game. And here's the thing — the result changed nothing about who dominated possession, but everything about who took their chances.
Minute twenty brought the first notable moment, Jens Toornstra receiving a yellow card for Sparta. By then the pattern was clear: Sparta controlling the ball, Excelsior waiting for their moments. Aymen Sliti gave the hosts the lead in the 24th minute, and Milan Zonneveld doubled it just after the break in the 48th. To be fair, Sparta had their chances, but the visitors could not find the finishing touch when it mattered.
The statistics tell one story, but the match told another. Excelsior held just 43 per cent possession and registered only 4 shots on target compared to Sparta's 2, yet they scored twice. Expected goals figures — 1.17 for the hosts, 0.97 for the visitors — suggested a tighter affair than the final scoreline, though Groen's late strike proved decisive.
By then, the game had opened up enough for managers to make changes. Excelsior brought on Daniel van Vianen and David Garden in the second half, while Sparta introduced Mitchell Van Bergen and Julian Baas. The substitutions did not alter the outcome, but they reflected the urgency on both sides as the clock ran down.
Excelsior now sit sixth in the table with 6 points from 3 games, having lost just once in that span. Sparta remain in 10th place with 4 points from 4 matches. The result ends Sparta's recent run of mixed form — they had drawn 3:3 with Utrecht on Wednesday and lost 1:0 to Feyenoord earlier — while Excelsior's late winner gives them momentum heading into the next fixture.