Almere City secured a comfortable 4:0 victory over MVV Maastricht in the Eerste Divisie on Friday evening. The result keeps both sides in the upper half of the table, with MVV remaining second and Almere fifth. And here's the thing — the scoreline tells only part of the story, because possession didn't tell the full tale of who controlled the game.
MVV had the ball more, holding 65 per cent of possession compared to Almere's 35. But possession without penetration means very little, to be fair. The hosts managed just two shots on target from seven attempts inside the penalty area, while Almere struck the target ten times with only four attempts outside the box. Shots accuracy reflects that difference — 0.18 against 0.67.
The goals came in the second half, starting with Ferdy Druijf's 66th-minute opener. Marley Dors doubled the lead four minutes later, and Olivier de Nijs added a third in the 85th minute before Emanuel Poku sealed it late on. Druijf had been cautioned earlier, in the 13th minute, so he at least contributed something to the scoreboard.
MVV made heavy changes in the second half, bringing on Robert Klaasen, Delano Asante and Teun Bijleveld all in the 79th minute, presumably hoping for a scrap. They managed 140 attacks and 25 clearances but couldn't breach Almere's defence. Almere, meanwhile, made fewer attacks — 71 — but were clinical when it mattered.
Both sides picked up a yellow card, with Lars Schenk joining Druijf on the book for MVV. The hosts have now played five games without a loss — four wins, one draw — while Almere sit on ten points after three victories and a defeat. By then, the gap between them looks smaller than the performance suggested.
