Valwijk saw off NAC Breda 4-2 in the fifth round of the Eerste Divisie on Friday evening. The hosts have now broken their sequence of draws after four consecutive matches ending level, though they remain winless on four points in twelfth place. NAC Breda move up to ninth with seven points after their first defeat of the campaign.
And here's the thing about this one — it was the own goal that set the tone. Rio Hillen turned it over for NAC Breda in the twenty-sixth minute, and to be fair, the visitors had already shown weakness at the back when Leo Greiml picked up a yellow card just one minute later. The home side took advantage, and by then it was clear this wouldn't be another stalemate.
Four substitutions came at the break — Hillen, Paul Gladon, Boyd Lucassen and Maximilien Balard all came off for NAC Breda, while Valwijk made changes of their own. The hosts struck first after the interval when Thijs van Leeuwen found the net in the fifty-sixth minute. Mohamed Nassoh equalised for the visitors six minutes later, but then Valwijk turned it on.
F. Al Mazyani restored the lead in the seventy-fifth minute, and Nassoh quickly found himself back in trouble with a yellow card of his own. Ryan Fage and Jochem Nap came on for Valwijk at that point, and the switch paid off — Nassoh scored his second in the eighty-third minute before Jordy de Wijs sealed it with a late winner at 90+3.
Valwijk dominated possession at 55 percent and registered 15 shots, four on target. NAC Breda had more shots on target — six to four — but couldn't convert the advantage. The away side also had a red card to account for, which explains why they couldn't hold on despite their shooting accuracy of 38 percent.
The result matters more than the numbers. Valwijk have ground out a win after drawing their previous four matches, and while they're still winless in the league, they've finally got something to show for their efforts. NAC Breda's three-match unbeaten run is over, and they'll need to regroup quickly if they want to climb further.
