Almere City beat Vitesse 3-0 in the Eerste Divisie on Friday evening, a result that keeps them third in the table while Vitesse remain seventh after three rounds. The visitors took control early and never looked back, even though the hosts started with more energy than the scoreline would suggest. And here's the thing about these away games — you can see the difference in how each side sets up before a ball is kicked.
Ferdy Druijf opened the scoring in the 53rd minute, finishing a move that had been building since the break. Marley Dors doubled the advantage in the 75th, and then Emanuel Poku sealed it in the 79th. Three goals from nine shots on target — by then you know exactly what kind of performance this was.
James Lawrence picked up a yellow card for Vitesse in the 44th minute, and Emmanuel van de Blaak went off the same way for Almere City in the 47th. Hamza El Dahri was cautioned in the 55th, and Enzo Cornelisse joined him in the book in the 70th. Byron Burgering and Mees Hoedemakers came off together for Almere City in the 59th, while Filipe de Ferreira and Mathijs Marschalk were replaced for the hosts in the 65th. James Lawrence came off in the 69th, Hamza El Dahri was substituted in the 70th, Omar Achouitar and Ferdy Druijf went in the 77th, and Ricardo-Felipe Schwarz and Naoufal Bannis came on for Vitesse in the 84th.
Vitesse had 118 attacks to Almere City's 75, and they completed 458 passes against 318. But shots tell a different story — the hosts managed five on target from nine attempts, while the visitors hit nine of their eleven attempts. Possession sat at 60 per cent for Vitesse, 40 for Almere City, and you can watch possession all evening without scoring.
Almere City moved three points clear of fourth place with ten points from four games, while Vitesse have seven from four and need the points badly. The visitors have not lost this season, and the hosts have now dropped points against two sides in the top half of the table.