Holland and Halsteren played out a 2-2 draw in the Dutch Cup's first preliminary round on Tuesday evening, with the hosts eventually prevailing 5-4 on penalties after a dramatic extra-time sequence. The match, played at the club's home ground, featured four goals in regular time and then a penalty shootout that stretched to five rounds before Holland secured their progression.
J. Beerendonk opened the scoring at the 29th minute, putting Holland ahead early. Halsteren responded quickly, finding the net just three minutes later at the 32nd spot to level matters. The visitors held firm until the second half, when S. Kuyper restored Holland's lead at the 107th minute of play.
And here's the thing about the way this game unfolded — Halsteren refused to let the result stand, equalising at the 120th minute to force penalties. The shootout began with a miss from the visitors at 120+1, but Holland failed to capitalise immediately as their first attempt was also saved. Both sides then traded successful strikes through the second, third and fourth rounds, keeping tension high.
By the fifth round, only one penalty remained to be taken. Holland's shooter stepped up at 120+5 and converted, sending the home supporters into celebration. Halsteren had scored four of their five attempts, but the final miss proved costly, handing Holland a narrow victory on the spot.
The result carries particular weight given Holland's recent form, having won their last two matches against HBC and drawn with Huijzen before that. Halsteren, meanwhile, arrive with mixed results from their previous outings, including a 3-2 victory over ASVH and a 1-1 draw with Huk. The hosts will now look ahead to the next round with momentum on their side.